Olga Appell is a retired long-distance runner from Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, best known for winning the gold medal in the women's marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 at the 1991 Pan American Games

1991 Pan American Games

The 11th Pan American Games were held in Havana, Cuba from August 2 to August 18, 1991. There were a total number of 4,519 athletes from 39 countries of the PASO community, with events held in 32 different sports...

 in Havana, Cuba. She ran at the 1992 Summer Olympics

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 the following year, but failed to finish the race. She competed for Mexico until February 25, 1994, at which point she switched allegiance to the United States. She represented her adopted country at the 1996 Summer Olympics

1996 Summer Olympics

The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

. There she was eliminated in the qualifying heats of the women's 10,000 metres event.

Born Olga Avalos, she met her future husband, Brian Appell, at the Durango bank where she worked as a teller

Teller

Teller may refer to:* Teller * Teller , of Penn & Teller* Bank teller** Automated teller machine* Teller * Teller, Alaska* Teller County, Colorado* Teller Amendment* Teller mine...

. She won her first race as an American, the Los Angeles Marathon

Los Angeles Marathon

The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986...

, in her fastest time, 2:28:12. The same year (1994) she won the first of her USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...

 in the women's 10.000 metres in Knoxville.

She won the USA Cross Country Championships

USA Cross Country Championships

The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as well as acting as the selection race for the IAAF...

 in 1994. Among her wins on the road running

Road running

Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

 circuit were the 1993 Sapporo Half Marathon

Sapporo Half Marathon

The ' is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in July in Sapporo, Japan.First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. This lasted until 1973, as it was replaced with a...

, 1994 Lilac Bloomsday Run

Lilac Bloomsday Run

The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual timed road race in Spokane, Washington, held on the first Sunday of every May since 1977. The course is 12 km long. The course starts in Downtown Spokane and heads northwest along the far west end of town, passes by Mukogowa Ft...

 and 1995 Vancouver Sun Run

Vancouver Sun Run

The Vancouver Sun Run, sponsored by The Vancouver Sun newspaper, is a 10-km race held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada each year on the third Sunday in April since 1985...

. She won the Hokkaido Marathon

Hokkaido Marathon

The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year.The starting point for the race is on the east side of Nakajima Park and the race finishes at Nishi 8-chome of Odori Park...

 on two occasions (1992 and 1995) was the 1996 winner of the Twin Cities Marathon

Twin Cities Marathon

The Twin Cities Marathon is an annual marathon in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The race is often dubbed "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America." The TCM was first run in 1982, and typically takes place during the first weekend in October. In 2006 the Marathon agreed to its first...

.

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