Kristel Arianne Köbrich Schimpl (born August 9, 1985 in Santiago, Chile

Santiago, Chile

Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

) is an Olympic long-distance

Long-distance swimming

The distances that distinguish long distance swimming from ordinary swimming are those distances that are longer than are typically swum in pool competitions. When a given swim calls more on endurance than outright speed, the more likely it is to be considered a long distance swim...

 freestyle

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

 swimmer from 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...

. She was the country's flagbearer at the 2004 Olympics

Chile at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Chile competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Greek alphabet meant that it was the last independent nation before the host nation in the Parade of Nations ....

, and also swam at the 2008 Games

Chile at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Chile competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008.- Medalists :- Athletics:Track and road eventsField eventsCombined events-Canoeing:- Slalom:...

.

She is the current holder of the South American records

South American records in swimming

The South American records in swimming are the fastest times ever swum by a swimmer representing a member federation of the South American Swimming Confederation , South America's governing body of swimming.-Men:-Women:...

 in the women's 800 m and 1500 m freestyle (long and short course). She also Has the Chilean Records in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 freestyles (2:04.81, 4:11.83, 8:21.66, and 15:57.57), and the 400 IM (4:58.68).