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Amanda Beard Amanda Beard (right) with Nastia Liukin backstage at the 2009 Heart Truth fashion show Personal information Full name: Amanda Beard Nationality:  United States Stroke(s): Breaststroke, Individual Medley Date of birth: October 29, 1981 (1981-10-29) (age 27) Place of birth: Newport Beach, California, United States Height: 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)

Medal record Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m medley Gold 2004 Athens1 200 m breaststroke Silver 1996 Atlanta 100 m breaststroke Silver 1996 Atlanta 200 m breaststroke Silver 2004 Athens 200 m medley Silver 2004 Athens 4x100 m medley Bronze 2000 Sydney2 200 m breaststroke World Championships (LC) Gold 2003 Barcelona 200 m Breaststroke Silver 2003 Barcelona 100 m Breaststroke Silver 2003 Barcelona 4x100 m Medley World Championsips (SC) Silver 1997 Gothenburg 4x100 m medley Silver 2002 Moscow 4 x 100 m medley relay Silver 2004 Indianapolis3 200 m breaststroke Silver 2004 Indianapolis 4 x 100 m medley relay Summer Universiade Silver 1999 Majorca 100 m breaststroke Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2002 Yokohama 100 m breaststroke Gold 2002 Yokohama 200 m breaststroke Silver 2002 Yokohama 4x100m medley

Amanda Ray Beard (born October 29, 1981 in Newport Beach, California), is an Olympic-level swimmer and model from the United States of America. Beard participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics, and 2008 Summer Olympics, capturing a total of seven medals, the most recent in the 2004 games. She held the world number one ranking of 200 meter breaststrokers in 2003. In U.S. competition, Beard won three 200 meter breaststroke, three 100 meter breaststroke, and two 200 meter individual medley US National titles.

Career

1996 Summer Olympic Games

Beard made her first Olympic appearance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games at the age of 14, while still a student at Irvine High School in Irvine, California.⁴ Her youth and shy manner captured the attention of the media, and she was often photographed clutching her teddy bear, even on the medal stand.

Beard became the second-youngest Olympic medalist in American swimming history.⁵

2000 Summer Olympic Games

Beard attended the University of Arizona where she won an individual NCAA Division I championship in 2001. In 2003, she became the world champion and american record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke.

2004 Summer Olympic Games

Beard made a good showing at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, qualifying to participate in four events at the Athens games.

2008 Summer Olympic Games

At the 2008 US Olympic Swim Trials, Beard finished second in the 200 meter breaststroke event, and she qualified for her fourth consecutive Olympics. On 30 July 2008, at the US swimming team's final training in Singapore, Beard, together with Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin, were elected co-captains of the US Olympic women’s swimming team.⁶

• DNA - Did not advance

In Beijing, Beard failed to reach the semifinals in the 200 meter breaststroke, placing 18th in the preliminaries.

Modeling and Advertising

Her modeling work has included appearances in FHM⁷, the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and she posed nude for the July 2007 issue of Playboy magazine.⁸

She is a spokeswoman 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.

In November 2007, Beard made her first television commercial for GoDaddy entitled "Shock". It featured her "flashing" the seven Olympic medals she won from 1996-2004. Mark Spitz made a cameo appearance.⁹

In April 2008, she joined Fox Network's popular sports talk program, The Best Damn Sports Show Period as a correspondent, covering major sporting events.¹⁰

In 2008, Beard participated in an anti-fur campaign for the organization PETA. She was photographed nude in front of an American Flag. The flag in that photograph is hung incorrectly according the the United States Flag Code with the blue field to the upper right.¹¹

Personal life

Beard is a vegetarian.¹² She is married to photographer Sacha Brown, and is expecting her first child in September, 2009.¹³

Personal bests

Beard's personal bests in long-course meters are:

• 100 m breaststroke: 1:07.42
• 200 m breaststroke: 2:22.44 (3rd Fastest Swimmer in event)
• 200 m individual medley: 2:11.70

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amanda Beard

• Official website
• Amanda Beard Official Bio
• Interview in May 2007 about her return to competitive swimming and her training for the upcoming Olympic Games.
• Photo gallery.
• Videos & Results on SwimPassion.net.
• PETA Anti-Fur Campaign.

Records
Preceded by Qi Hui	Women's 200m breaststroke World Record holder (equaled) July 25, 2003 – July 10, 2004	Succeeded by Leisel Jones
Preceded by Leisel Jones	Women's 200m breaststroke World Record holder July 12, 2004 – July 29, 2005	Succeeded by Leisel Jones
Awards
Preceded by Natalie Coughlin	Swimming 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

v • d • e 1996 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Ryan Berube  •  Brad Bridgewater  •  Carlton Bruner  •  Greg Burgess  •  Ray Carey  •  Josh Davis  •  Tom Dolan  •  David Fox  •  Kurt Grote  •  Gary Hall Jr.  •  John Hargis  •  Mark Henderson  •  Joe Hudepohl  •  Jeremy Linn  •  Tom Malchow  •  Eric Namesnik  •  Jon Olsen  •  John Piersma  •  Jeff Rouse  •  Brad Schumacher  •  Tripp Schwenk  •  Scott Tucker  •  Peter Wright  •  Eric Wunderlich Women's Team Amanda Beard  •  Brooke Bennett  •  Beth Botsford  •  Janet Evans  •  Catherine Fox  •  Whitney Hedgepeth  •  Trina Jackson  •  Lisa Jacob  •  Angel Martino  •  Whitney Metzler  •  Kristine Quance  •  Annette Salmeen  •  Jilen Siroky  •  Sheila Taormina  •  Cristina Teuscher  •  Jenny Thompson  •  Melanie Valerio  •  Amy Van Dyken  •  Allison Wagner  •  Ashley Whitney Coaches  Skip Kenney  •  David Marsh  •  Richard Quick  •  Eddie Reese  •  Mark Schubert  •  Jonty Skinner  •  Murray Stephens  •  Gregg Troy  •  Jon Urbanchek

v • d • e 2000 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Pat Calhoun  •  Chad Carvin  •  Ian Crocker  •  Josh Davis  •  Tom Dolan  •  Nate Dusing  •  Anthony Ervin  •  Scott Goldblatt  •  Gary Hall Jr.  •  Tommy Hannan  •  Klete Keller  •  Lenny Krayzelburg  •  Jason Lezak  •  Tom Malchow  •  Ed Moses  •  Aaron Peirsol  •  Michael Phelps  •  Jamie Rauch  •  Kyle Salyards  •  Chris Thompson  •  Scott Tucker  •  Erik Vendt  •  Neil Walker  •  Tom Wilkens Women's Team Amanda Adkins  •  Samantha Arsenault  •  Amanda Beard  •  B.J. Bedford  •  Lindsay Benko  •  Brooke Bennett  •  Kim Black  •  Maddy Crippen  •  Misty Hyman  •  Kristy Kowal  •  Diana Munz  •  Rada Owen  •  Erin Phenix  •  Megan Quann  •  Gabrielle Rose  •  Kaitlin Sandeno  •  Courtney Shealy  •  Staciana Stitts  •  Julia Stowers  •  Ashley Tappin  •  Cristina Teuscher  •  Jenny Thompson  •  Dara Torres  •  Amy Van Dyken Coaches Peter Banks  •  Jack Bauerle  •  David Marsh  •  Richard Quick (Women's Head Coach)  •  Eddie Reese  •  Dave Salo  •  Mark Schubert (Men's Head Coach)  •  Jon Urbanchek

v • d • e 2004 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Ian Crocker  •  Nate Dusing  •  Mark Gangloff  •  Scott Goldblatt  •  Gary Hall Jr.  •  Brendan Hansen  •  Bryce Hunt  •  Larsen Jensen  •  Klete Keller  •  Dan Ketchum  •  Lenny Krayzelburg  •  Jason Lezak  •  Ryan Lochte  •  Tom Malchow  •  Aaron Peirsol  •  Michael Phelps  •  Scott Usher  •  Peter Vanderkaay  •  Erik Vendt  •  Neil Walker  •  Gabe Woodward Women's Team Amanda Beard  •  Lindsay Benko  •  Caroline Bruce  •  Kristen Caverly  •  Haley Cope  •  Maritza Correia  •  Natalie Coughlin  •  Margaret Hoelzer  •  Katie Hoff  •  Rhi Jeffrey  •  Kara Lynn Joyce  •  Kalyn Keller  •  Dana Kirk  •  Tara Kirk  •  Rachel Komisarz  •  Colleen Lanné  •  Diana Munz  •  Carly Piper  •  Kaitlin Sandeno  •  Jenny Thompson  •  Dana Vollmer  •  Amanda Weir Coaches Bob Bowman  •  Frank Busch  •  Teri McKeever  •  Richard Quick  •  Eddie Reese (Men's Head Coach)  •  Dave Salo  •  Mark Schubert (Women's Head Coach)  •  Jon Urbanchek

v • d • e 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Team Men's Team Nathan Adrian  •  Ricky Berens  •  Ian Crocker  •  Mark Gangloff  •  Matt Grevers  •  Brendan Hansen  •  Larsen Jensen  •  Cullen Jones  •  Klete Keller  •  Jason Lezak  •  Ryan Lochte  •  Aaron Peirsol  •  Michael Phelps  •  Eric Shanteau  •  Scott Spann  •  Gil Stovall  •  Peter Vanderkaay  •  Erik Vendt  •  Dave Walters  •  Mark Warkentin  •  Garrett Weber-Gale  •  Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner Women's Team Amanda Beard  •  Elizabeth Beisel  •  Elaine Breeden  •  Caroline Burckle  •  Natalie Coughlin  •  (Jessica Hardy)  •  Kathleen Hersey  •  Margaret Hoelzer  •  Katie Hoff  •  Megan Jendrick  •  Kara Lynn Joyce  •  Christine Magnuson  •  Christine Marshall  •  Lacey Nymeyer  •  Allison Schmitt  •  Emily Silver  •  Julia Smit  •  Rebecca Soni  •  Chloe Sutton  •  Dara Torres  •  Kim Vandenberg  •  Kate Ziegler Coaches  Jack Bauerle (Women's Head Coach)  •  Ray Benecki  •  Bob Bowman  •  Frank Busch  •  Sean Hutchison  •  Teri McKeever  •  Eddie Reese (Men's Head Coach)  •  Mark Schubert (National Team Head Coach)  •  Gregg Troy  •  Jon Urbanchek  •  Paul Yetter  •