Amy Van Dyken facts for kids
Van Dyken in 2017
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| Born | February 15, 1973 Englewood, Colorado, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 163 lb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Butterfly, freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Arizona Colorado State University |
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| Coach | Jonty Skinner and John Mattos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Amy Deloris Van Dyken-Rouen (born February 15, 1973) is a famous American swimmer. She is an Olympic champion and a former world record holder. Amy won six gold medals at the Olympic Games. Four of these gold medals were won at the 1996 Summer Olympics. This made her the first American woman to win so many gold medals in one Olympics. She was also the most successful athlete at the 1996 Games.
Amy had severe asthma when she was a child and even as an adult. A doctor suggested she start swimming to make her lungs stronger. This helped her manage her asthma and prevent attacks. She was named Swimming World's American Swimmer of the Year in both 1995 and 1996.
In June 2014, Amy was in a serious accident. She was riding an ATV when she got hurt. The accident damaged her spinal cord, which caused her to become paralyzed from the waist down.
Contents
Early Life and College Swimming
Amy Van Dyken was born in Englewood, Colorado. She started swimming at a young age to help with her asthma. In 1992, she almost made the U.S. Olympic team for the 50-meter freestyle event.
After high school, Amy went to the University of Arizona. She later moved to Colorado State University. There, she set a new United States record in 1994. This was for the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships. She also did very well in other races. In 1994, she was named the NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year. After college, she moved to the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She trained there full-time to prepare for the 1996 Olympics.
Olympic Achievements
1996 Atlanta Olympics
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, Amy Van Dyken made history. She became the first American female athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Her amazing success in swimming earned her many awards.
She received the ESPN Awards (ESPY) Female Athlete of the Year award. Swimming World magazine also named her their female Swimmer of the Year. She was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Hall of Fame. Amy was also named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year. She was recognized as the USOC Sports Woman of the Year and the Women's Sports Foundation Sports Woman of the Year.
Amy was featured in Glamour magazine as one of their Top 10 Women of the Year. Women's Sports and Fitness magazine named her one of the 25 most important women in sports. She also received the ARETE Courage in Sports award. Amy appeared on the covers of many newspapers and magazines. These included USA Today, Newsweek, Time, Swimming World magazine, and Sports Illustrated. She was also a guest on popular TV shows like the Late Show with David Letterman and the Today Show.
2000 Sydney Olympics
Amy continued to swim after the 1996 Olympics. However, she faced many injuries, including a shoulder injury. This injury needed several operations and kept her from training for over a year. Despite these challenges, she made a great comeback.
She qualified for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Amy won two more gold medals. These were in the 4×100-meter medley relay and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. She also placed fourth in the 50-meter freestyle. This brought her total Olympic gold medals to six. Amy Van Dyken is one of the few Olympians whose medals are all gold.
Life After Competitive Swimming
After the 2000 Olympics, Amy Van Dyken stopped competing in swimming. She married NFL punter Tom Rouen. They live in both Colorado and Arizona.
After retiring from swimming, Amy decided to try triathlon. She competed in several triathlon events. She also became involved in many different activities. Amy was a disc jockey on a sports radio show in Arizona. She worked as a side-line reporter for the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos football teams. She also acted in the award-winning stage-play the ... Monologues.
Amy is very active in charities, like the Make-A-Wish Foundation. With her husband, Tom, she organizes an annual event in Evergreen, Colorado. This event raises money to help young people who are facing challenges. She was also the head coach for the varsity swim team at Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2007, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. In July 2008, she was also inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
Amy continued her career in radio. She was a morning co-host for radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona. She also co-hosted Fox Sports Tonight on Fox Sports Radio until December 2013.
ATV Accident and Recovery
On June 6, 2014, Amy Van Dyken was in a very serious ATV accident. The accident caused a severe injury to her spinal cord. This left her paralyzed from the waist down. She was conscious after the accident and was taken to a hospital by helicopter. She had emergency surgery to help stabilize her spinal cord.
After two months of rehabilitation, Amy left Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado. She said, "I'm a better person than before the injury." With the help of a walker and a special device that helps her legs, she was able to take her first steps. Her story is an inspiration to many.
See also
In Spanish: Amy Van Dyken para niños
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
- World record progression 50 metres butterfly
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
