THEIR STORY
Christa and Saul first met at the 1958 Stoke Mandeville Games and renewed their friendship in 1959 at those Stoke Mandeville Games. Fate would bring them back together at the 1960 inaugural Paralympics in Rome, Italy. Lured by the promise of excellent food and spare wheelchair parts, Christa ventured over to the American tent along with a few of her teammates. Saul and Christa started a conversation, but while he stepped away to refill their plates, another athlete came in to charm her. Naturally competitive, Saul shooed the young admirer away. The games were a success for both Christa and Saul—she won eight medals and he won two, but the true win was the start of their romance.
They began to visit each other, traveling between New York and Berlin. After two years of long-distance dating, Christa and Saul were married in June of 1962 and set up a home together in Brooklyn, NY.
In 1964, the newly formed Welger family represented America in the Tokyo Paralympics. The couple brought home another seven medals.
Christa and Saul welcomed their first child two years later and their second child in 1970. And while their family was growing, the family of disabled athletes to which they belonged was also expanding. This group provided a sense of camaraderie decades before the American with Disabilities Act and the widespread social awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities. Local sporting events for disabled athletes provided an outlet for those competing, as well as their families, who felt understood in the safe environment. Saul and Christa were at the forefront creating that inclusive community.
The Welgers were very active in sports until their untimely passing; Saul in 2002 and Christa in 2019. The Welger family is dedicated to see the legacy of their parents and grandparents remain alive in the spirits and actions of other disabled athletes. Following in their footsteps of personal greatness both in athletics and in life, the Christa & Saul Welger Foundation has been created to honor Christa and Saul’s memory.
It is the sincere wish of the Welger family that through these resources, young, disabled athletes will not only achieve greatness in their sport but also help create lasting change for those around them.