Claudia Poll Ahrens, the greatest Latin American swimmer, was born in Nicaragua but grew up in Costa Rica, the country she represented throughout her career. She has held Costa Rican nationality since 1993.

Poll’s international journey began in 1989 when she set six records at the Central American and Caribbean Games. From then on, she earned numerous medals and records in Venezuela, at the U.S. Open, and the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, she defeated world champion Franziska van Almsick of Germany, securing the gold medal—the first for a Latin American swimmer and the first Olympic gold medal in Costa Rica’s history. Over her career, Poll competed in 837 events and 169 competitions, winning 621 medals and 45 trophies. She set 139 records: 50 national, 19 Latin American, 63 international, 3 world, and 4 World Cup records.

In 2006, she participated in the Central American and Caribbean Games, winning two gold medals in the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle events and a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle. Poll also competed in the Masters Swimming World Championships in 2010 and 2012. In Gothenburg, she won a gold medal in the 200-meter medley and a silver in the 200-meter freestyle. In Italy, she claimed a silver medal in the 200-meter medley.