Cristina Esmeralda López (born 19 September 1982 in Ozatlan

Ozatlán

Ozatlán is a municipality in the Usulután department of El Salvador.The city of Ozatlán was named in the 1970s by the governor of El Salvador. This city was recently rebuilt, with a new central park and business district....

) is an Salvadoran

El Salvador

El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

 race walker.

When she won the gold medal at the Pan American Games

Athletics at the 2007 Pan American Games

The athletics competition at the 2007 Pan American Games was held at the Flamengo Park and Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro between 22 July and 29 July 2007...

, she made history by winning the first ever medal for El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

 at the games. Lopez also had the worries of having her 3-year-old daughter Monica Michelle back in El Salvador undergoing medical treatment for cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

. Lopez crossed the finish line in 1:38:59, a full minute and 4 seconds ahead of the second place.

Achievements

Representing
2000	World Junior Championships 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2000 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Santiago, Chile.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...	Santiago, Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...	20th	10,000 m
2005	Pan American Race Walking Cup Pan American Race Walking Cup The Pan American Race Walking Cup is a biennial race walking competition for athletes representing countries from the Americas. It was established in 1984 and has featured races for senior men and women, and for junior athletes. The women competed in the 10 km road race until 1996, and then...	Lima, Peru	1st	20 km	1:30:35
	World Championships 2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...	Helsinki, Finland	—	20 km 2005 World Championships in Athletics - Women's 20 km Walk The Women's 20 km race walk event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics was held on August 7 in the streets of Helsinki with the start at 11:35h local time, and the goal line situated in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:...	DSQ
	Central American and Caribbean Championships 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in athletics were held at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas, between 8–11 July 2005. Nearly 700 athletes from around 30 of the region's countries competed at the event.-Men's events:...	Nassau Nassau, Bahamas Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas... , Bahamas	1st	10,000 m	45:52.32
2006	Central American and Caribbean Games Athletics at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games The athletics competition at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games took place at the Estadio Pedro de Heredia in Cartagena, Colombia and lasted from July 25 to July 29. There were 23 events for men and 21 for women...	Cartagena, Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...	1st	20 km
2007	Pan American Race Walking Cup Pan American Race Walking Cup The Pan American Race Walking Cup is a biennial race walking competition for athletes representing countries from the Americas. It was established in 1984 and has featured races for senior men and women, and for junior athletes. The women competed in the 10 km road race until 1996, and then...	Balneário Camboriú Balneário Camboriú Balneário Camboriú is a major beach resort in the Brazilian southern state of Santa Catarina. The town, with its steep hills dropping down to the sea, is popular amongst South Americans. The main ocean boulevard is called Avenida Atlântica... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...	1st	20 km	1:39:21
	Pan American Games Athletics at the 2007 Pan American Games The athletics competition at the 2007 Pan American Games was held at the Flamengo Park and Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro between 22 July and 29 July 2007...	Rio Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th... , Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...	1st	20 km	1:38:59 Athletics at the 2007 Pan American Games – Women's 20 kilometres walk The women's 20 kilometres walk event at the 2007 Pan American Games was held on July 22.-Results:-References:*...
2009	Central American and Caribbean Championships 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:...	Havana, Cuba	3rd	10 km	49:30 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics – Results These are the official results of the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics which took place on July 3–7, 2009 in Havana, Cuba....
	World Championships 2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....	Berlin, Germany	37th	20 km 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 20 kilometres walk The Women's 20 km Walk event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held throughout the city of Berlin on August 16, beginning and ending at the Brandenburg Gate....