Amanda Beard

Biography

Amanda Ray Beard (born October 29, 1981), also known by her married name Amanda Brown after 2009, is an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist with two gold, four silver, and one bronze medal. She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke long course. An exceptionally accomplished competitor, Beard captured a total of twenty-one medals in major international competition, five gold, thirteen silver, and three bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Summer Universiade. In addition to brief careers in modeling, advertising, and broadcasting, she has worked as a swimming coach and instructor.

== Early life and swimming == Beard was born October 29, 1981 in Newport Beach, California. Her father Daniel, a Professor at a local college and mother Gayle, a long serving art teacher, primarily for high schools, divorced around 1993 when Beard was twelve. Amanda began competing in swimming at an early age. Her two older sisters, Leah and Taryn both competed in swimming when Amanda was young, and which may have subtly influenced her to pursue the sport. She attended Irvine High School in Irvine California, competing in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as only a Freshman. She trained with the Irvine Novaquatics during her High School years under Hall of Fame Coach Dave Salo and age-group coach Brian Pajer. Though Coach Salo preferred his High School swimming competitors to train no more than ten hours a week, he and age group coach Brian Pajer helped shape Amanda in her early years into a world ranked breaststroke competitor, and she subsequently ceased competing in club soccer in early 1994 to focus exclusively on swimming. At 14, after a meteoric rise in the sport in a two year period, Beard had a world rating of fourth in the 200 meter breaststroke, and was rated sixth in the 100 breaststroke. Salo's approach to training high school age competitors focused more on intensity than very long distance training sessions. While representing Irvine High School, Beard held the California Interscholastic Federation Division 1 record in the 100-meter breaststroke of 1:01.79. A notably dominant regional team, the Irvine High School Vaquero's Women's swim team, frequently with Beard's participation, won the Division I Southern Section (CIF) Championships five years successively from 1996-2001. Gaining national recognition at 14 in 1995, Beard won the 100-meter breaststroke national championship.

== 1996 Atlanta Olympics ==

At the March, 1996 Olympic trials in the Spring of her Freshman High School year, Beard won both the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke, qualifying in both events. Having qualified at the trials, Beard made her inaugural Olympic appearance at the age of 14 at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She was often photographed clutching her teddy bear, even on the medal stand. With her three medals, Beard had the distinction of being the second-youngest American Olympic medalist. Beard won a gold in the 4x100 meter medley relay with a combined team time of 4:02.88, a silver in the 100 meter breaststroke with an American record time of 1:08.09, and a silver in the 200 meter breaststroke with a time of 2:25.75. In the 100-meter breaststroke, South African gold medalist Penny Heyns had broken her own former world record in the preliminary heats, but had a bad turn in the finals allowing Beard to gain ground. In the close finish, Beard touched only .36 seconds behind Heyns.

=== University of Arizona === Beard attended the University of Arizona, where she competed for the Arizona Wildcats swimming and diving team under ASCAA Hall of Fame Coach Frank Busch for two seasons. During her time as a Wildcat, in 2001 Beard captured an NCAA National Championship title in her signature event, the 200 meter breaststroke. She was selected as an All-American ten times, and was instrumental in lifting the 2000 Arizona Women's swim team to their inaugural championship in the Pac-10 Conference. In 2003, she became the world champion and American record-holder in the 200-meter breaststroke.

== 2000 Sydney Olympics ==

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Beard won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, with a time of 2:25.35.

== 2004 Athens Olympics ==