She was paralyzed by polio at a young age,[2][3] and developed physical strength in sports, including swimming and field events.

As a young woman, Zander belonged to the Handicapped Sports League of Berlin, and worked in a factory.

As Christa Welger, she represented the United States as a swimmer and field athlete at the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1962,[5][6] and at 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo,[7] where she won a gold medal and three silver medals.

[8] Zander married American accountant and wheelchair athlete Saul Welger in 1962, and moved to New York to live with him.

After her death, the Christa & Saul Welger Foundation was established, to continue their work in supporting sports opportunities for physically disabled youth.