ATHLETE: SWIMMING, AMY VAN DYKEN
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Amy Van Dyken is one of the most decorated Olympic female swimmers of all time, winning a total of six gold medals. Van Dyken didn’t expect to exceed in swimming even though it was something she liked since childhood. She suffered from severe asthma and swimming was one of the best ways of relieving it. This struggle with asthma is something that she covers in her talks as a motivational speaker. Following the doctor’s advice, Van Dyken began swimming, she didn’t compete competitively until high school. In 1991, she became the team captain and led her squad to a state title. Van Dyken was named the NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year in 1994. After college, she joined the United States Olympic Training Center to train full-time for the 1996 Olympics. When she won four gold medals in the 1996 Olympic Games, Van Dyken became the first American female athlete to accomplish such a feat. At the 2000 Olympic Games, Amy Van Dyken won two more gold medals, bringing her total count to six. She won numerous accolades, including ESPN’s ESPY Female Athlete of the Year, Swimming World magazine’s female Swimmer of the Year, USOC Sports Woman of the Year, Women’s Sports Foundation Sports Woman of the Year, and USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year. She was also inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, International Swimming Hall of Fame, the US Olympic Hall of Fame and named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. The Olympic gold medalist does more than just compete in the pool. She also works in broadcasting and helps out charities and non-profit events. She and her husband, NFL punter Tom Rouen, participated in an event to benefit Colorado Youth Outdoors, a charity that takes families to the great outdoors of Colorado. Amy Van Dyken and her dog, Georgia, are the US representatives of Paws with a Cause (PAWS), a non-profit organization that trains and assists hearing and seizure dogs. Apart from her work with charities the Olympic gold medalist also is a motivational speaker on the topic of overcoming adversity. Speaking Topics
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STATS CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
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