# Cristina López (race walker)

Cristina Esmeralda López (born 19 September 1982) is a Salvadoran race walker. She was born in Ozatlán.
She made history by winning the first ever gold medal for El Salvador at the Pan American Games. At the time, Lopez also had the worries of having her 3-year-old daughter Monica Michelle back in El Salvador undergoing treatment for cancer. Lopez crossed the finish line in 1:38:59, a full minute and 4 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

## Personal bests
### Track walk

* 10,000 m: 44:16.21 min – San Salvador, 13 July 2007

### Road walk

* 10 km: 49:02 min – San Salvador, 30 March 2014
* 20 km: 1:30:08 hrs – A Coruña, 4 June 2005

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing El Salvador ||||||
| 2000 | World Junior Championships | Santiago, Chile | 20th | 10,000 m | 53:12.90 |
| 2001 | Central American Junior Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 1st | 5000 m track walk | 23:19.27 |
| 2001 | Pan American Junior Championships | Santa Fe, Argentina | 1st | 10,000 m track walk | 51:41.9 |
| 2001 | Central American Games | Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala | 3rd | 20 km | 1:49:01 A |
| 2002 | Ibero-American Championships | Guatemala, Guatemala | 6th | 20 km walk | DNF |
| 2005 | Pan American Race Walking Cup | Lima, Peru | 1st | 20 km walk | 1:30:35 |
| 2005 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Nassau, Bahamas | 1st | 10,000 m | 45:52.32 |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | — | 20 km | DSQ |
| 2006 | World Race Walking Cup | A Coruña, Spain | 31st | 20 km road walk | 1:35:36 |
| 2006 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Cartagena, Colombia | 1st | 20 km walk | 1:38:26 |
| 2007 | Pan American Race Walking Cup | Balneário Camboriú, Brazil | 1st | 20 km walk | 1:39:21 |
| 2007 | NACAC Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 1st | 10,000 m | 44:16.21 |
| 2007 | Pan American Games | Rio, Brazil | 1st | 20 km | 1:38:59 |
| 2009 | Central American Championships | Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala | 1st | 10 km | 47:35.35 CR |
| 2009 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Havana, Cuba | 3rd | 10 km | 49:30 |
| 2009 | Pan American Race Walking Cup | San Salvador, El Salvador | — | 20 km road walk | DNF |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 37th | 20 km | 1:47:33 |
| 2010 | World Race Walking Cup | Chihuahua, México | 40th | 20 km road walk | 1:45:43 |
| 2011 | Central American Race Walking Cup | San Salvador, El Salvador | 3rd | 20 km road walk | 1:49:46 |
| 2011 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 10,000 m | 49:48.36 |
| 2013 | Central American Race Walking Cup | Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala | 1st | 10 km road walk | 55:48 |
| 2013 | Central American Games | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 20 km road walk | 1:48:12 |
| 2013 | Pan American Race Walking Cup | Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala | 12th | 20 km road walk | 1:42:33 |
| 2013 | Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 10,000 m track walk | 47:47.62 |
| 2013 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Morelia, Mexico | 4th | 10,000 m | 52:23.40 |
| 2014 | Central American Race Walking Championships | San Salvador, El Salvador | 1st | 10 km road walk | 49:02 |
| 2014 | Central American Championships | Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 1st | 10,000m track walk | 49:18.36 |
| 2014 | Ibero-American Championships | São Paulo, Brazil | 9th | 10,000m track walk | 47:54.88 |
| 2014 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Xalapa, México | 7th | 20 km road walk | 1:57:00 A |