Amanda Beard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amanda Ray Beard (born October 29, 1981 in Newport Beach, California) is an American Olympic swimmer and model.
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Amanda Beard |
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| Women's swimming | |||
Competitor for  United States |
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| Olympic Games | |||
| Gold | 1996 Atlanta | 4x100 m medley | |
| Silver | 1996 Atlanta | 100 m breaststroke | |
| Silver | 1996 Atlanta | 200 m breaststroke | |
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney [1] | 200 m breaststroke | |
| Gold | 2004 Athens [2] | 200 m breaststroke | |
| Silver | 2004 Athens | 200 m medley | |
| Silver | 2004 Athens | 4x100 m medley | |
| World Championships (LC) | |||
| Gold | 2003 Barcelona | 200m Breaststroke | |
| Silver | 2003 Barcelona | 100m Breaststroke | |
| Silver | 2003 Barcelona | 4x100m Medley | |
| World Championsips (SC) | |||
| Silver | 1997 Gothenburg | 4x100 m medley | |
| Silver | 2004 Indianapolis[3] | 200 m breaststroke | |
| Silver | 2004 Indianapolis | 4 x 100 m medley relay | |
| Silver | 2002 Moscow | 4 x 100 m medley relay | |
| Summer Universiade | |||
| Silver | 1999 Mallorca | 100 m breaststroke | |
Beard made her first Olympic appearance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games at the age of 14, while a student at Irvine High School in Irvine, California.[4]. She won silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststrokes, and a gold in the medley relay. Her young-teen manner captured the attention of the media, and she was often photographed clutching her teddy bear, even on the medal stand. She won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Amanda attended the University of Arizona where she captured an individual NCAA National Championship in 2001.
In 2003 she became the world champion and world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke. She also made a good showing at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, and she competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where she won a gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, her first individual gold medal. She also won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley, and she finished fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Beard has won eight United States titles (thrice in both the 200m breaststroke and the 100m breaststroke, plus twice in the 200m individual medley). She was first in a world ranking of 200m breaststrokers in 2003.
Her modeling work has included appearances in FHM, the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and she posed for the July 2007 issue of Playboy.[5] She is a spokesperson for Defenders of Wildlife, and enjoys interior decorating. Both of her sisters, Leah and Taryn, are swimmers. Amanda placed eighth in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Celebrity car race in 2006.
She recently began own regular segment on the Fox network's popular sports talk program, The Best Damn Sports Show Period.
Beard previously dated South African swimmer Ryk Neethling and NASCAR Nextel Cup Driver Carl Edwards. She is currently dating photographer Sacha Brown.
[edit] Personal bests
Beard's personal bests in long-course meters are:
- 100m breaststroke: 1:07.42
- 200m breaststroke: 2:22.44 (2nd Fastest Swimmer in event)
- 200m individual medley: 2:11.70
[edit] References
- ^ ESPN Sydney Swimming. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ 2004 Olympic Games swimming results. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ 7th FINA World Championships - 25m Indianapolis 2004. Retrieved on 2007-07-24.
- ^ Klein, Sarah A. "Conquering Heroine; Amanda Beard Welcomed Back After Olympic Trial Swim Wins", Los Angeles Times, March 15, 1996. Accessed January 15, 2008. "A sign hastily written on notebook paper and held behind Olympic Swim Team member Amanda Beard's back on Thursday said it all: Amanda Beard is Cool. Even though she's just a freshman at Irvine High School and is only 14, she's cool, calm and collected about her two first-place finishes in the Olympic trials. And she's super-cool in the minds of her classmates."
- ^ ESPN article. Accessed June 2, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Amanda Beard's U.S. Olympic Team bio
- [1] Interviewed in May 2007 by Outside Magazine about her return to competitive swimming and her training for the upcoming Olympic Games. *Amanda Beard Profile Page - Speaking topics.
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| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Natalie Coughlin |
World American Swimmer of the Year 2003 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Katie Hoff |
| Preceded by Heather Mitts |
ESPN Hottest Female Athlete 2005 |
Succeeded by Tanith Belbin |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Beard, Amanda |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Athlete |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 29, 1981 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Irvine, California, United States of America |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
