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Amanda Beard

Growing up around swimmers, Amanda eventually joined a swimming club herself, and her talents soon became evident. When she was still a child in middle school, her coaches could already tell that she was Olympic material. In 1995, she earned a U.S. National Title in the 100-meter breaststroke, was named a National A team member, and took second place in the Pan Pacific Championships for the 400-meter medley relay. Once in the media spotlight, Amanda was the object of instant adoration; she was cast as America's newest sports hero. She took the silver medal in both the 100 and 200-meter breaststrokes and the gold for her contribution in the breaststroke leg of the 400-meter medley relay. In doing so, she became the second-youngest American gold medalist in swimming history. The media let her drop, but Amanda did not get discouraged. She continued cleaning up in competitions, winning another two U.S. National Titles in 1997 for the 100 and 200-meter breaststrokes. Amanda enrolled at the University of Arizona in 1999, where she flourished even more under a new swimming coach. She took the silver at the 1999 World University Games in the 100-meter breaststroke, and the following year won the silver in the 200-meter at the NCAA Championships. In spite of the accumulation of all... Next

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