Amy VAN DYKEN

Having taken up swimming to assist relieve her bronchial asthma, Amy Van Dyken went on to win six gold medals in two editions of the Olympic Games.

A document in Atlanta

“My biggest memory of Atlanta is the 50m freestyle, my last race at those Games,” recollects US swimmer Amy van Dyken. “I remember saying to myself: ‘You know what? You’ve already got three golds and this is your best event. So go out there and have fun.’ I was swimming next to the world record holder and world champion, and the last thing that went through my mind was: ‘This is yours! Go and get it!’. When I touched the wall I exploded with joy.”

It was within the Olympic pool at Atlanta in 1996 that Amy van Dyken turned the primary American feminine athlete ever to win 4 golds on the identical Games. The first of them got here on 22 July, when she swam the second leg for the USA workforce that beat China and Germany within the 4x100m freestyle remaining in a time of three.39.29. Two days later she edged out China’s Liu Limin by one hundredth of a second to take gold within the 100m butterfly, and promptly dived again into the water to swim the freestyle leg of the 4x100m medley remaining, which the Americans received in a time of 4.02.88. After choosing up a fourth gold within the 50m freestyle, van Dyken was feted again dwelling, choosing up the feminine athlete and feminine swimmer of the yr awards.

Six of the very best

Van Dyken suffered a shoulder damage within the countdown to the Sydney Games in 2000 and underwent quite a lot of operations. Returning in time for the American trials, she certified for 3 occasions. After swimming the lead leg within the 4x100m freestyle remaining at Sydney’s Homebush Bay pool on 16 September 2000, she cheered her team-mates to victory as they took gold in a world-record time of three.36.61. Van Dyken then competed within the heats of the 4x100m medley relay however sat out the ultimate, through which her colleagues set a brand new world document of three:58.30, incomes her a sixth profession gold. She then completed out of the rostrum locations within the 50m freestyle remaining, ending fourth, that means that she is certainly one of a really choose band of Olympians to have received solely gold medals.

Sound recommendation

A extreme bronchial asthma sufferer as a younger woman, van Dyken took up swimming on the age of six on the recommendation of her physician. In addition to her Olympic exploits, she additionally received three golds on the 1998 World Swimming Championships in Perth (AUS). She is married to ex-American soccer participant Tom Rouen – previously with Denver Broncos. After retiring from swimming and incomes her place in Olympic and American sporting historical past she tried her hand at appearing and in addition turned a TV and radio presenter.