Amanda Ray Beard is an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist (two gold, four silver, one bronze). She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke (long course).
Beard’s success has earned her the American Swimmer of the Year Award twice. She has won 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.
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. She was often photographed clutching her teddy bear, even on the medal stand. Beard became the second-youngest Olympic medalist in American swimming history when she won three medals in Atlanta—one gold and two silver. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Beard won a bronze a medal in the 200 m breaststroke.
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. At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, she qualified to participate in four events at the Athens games and broke the world record in the 200 m breaststroke. She went on to win the gold medal in the 200 m breaststroke. Beard also won silver in both the 200 m individual medley and the 4×100 m medley relay. Her split in the medley relay would have won her the gold medal in the 100 breaststroke; her split was the fastest out of the eight competing (1:06.32)
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 July 30, 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.
In August 2010, she came out of retirement to compete at the 2010 Conoco Phillips National Championships. She finished second in the 200 breast finals at 2:26.50, qualifying her for the Pan Pac Team to represent the USA later in the month. In the 100 breast, Amanda Beard swam a 1:08.72 in prelims and 1:09.12 in finals, finishing 6th.
Her modeling work has included appearances in FHM, the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and the July 2007 issue of Playboy magazine. 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. 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.
Achievements of Amanda Beard
Olympic Games
- Gold 1996 Atlanta 4×100 m medley
- Gold 2004 Athens 200 m breaststroke
- Silver 1996 Atlanta 100 m breaststroke
- Silver 1996 Atlanta 200 m breaststroke
- Silver 2004 Athens 200 m medley
- Silver 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley
- Bronze 2000 Sydney 200 m breaststroke
World Championships (LC)
- Gold 2003 Barcelona 200 m breaststroke
- Silver 2003 Barcelona 100 m breaststroke
- Silver 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m medley
World Championships (SC)
- Silver 1997 Gothenburg 4×100 m medley
- Silver 2002 Moscow 4×100 m medley
- Silver 2004 Indianapolis 200 m breaststroke
- Silver 2004 Indianapolis 4×100 m medley
Pan Pacific Championships
- Gold 2002 Yokohama 100 m breaststroke
- Gold 2002 Yokohama 200 m breaststroke
- Silver 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m medley
- Silver 1995 Atlanta 4×100 m medley
- Bronze 1995 Atlanta 100 m breaststroke
- Bronze 1995 Atlanta 200 m breaststroke
Summer Universiade
- Silver 1999 Majorca 100 m breaststroke
Amanda Beard is seven-time Olympic swimming medalist. She has twenty-one medals in major international swimming competitions. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Beginning at just 14 years of age you won at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststrokes, and gold in the medley relay. You reached the pinnacle of success when in 2003 you became the world champion and world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke. What factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I look back at my career and realize it would have been really easy for me to quit and walk away from the sport at times that were more difficult. The best thing I’ve ever done in my sport is stuck with it no matter how hard it got. If I quit I wouldn’t have continued on to make 4 Olympics and win 7 medals and that would be a huge regret of mine.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I love staying active and playing a bunch of sports. To me working out should and can be fun so finding the right trainer or workout group is very important. Also joining groups to play soccer or go hiking can be a wonderful way to get a workout in without realizing it. I’m going to start playing soccer and stand up paddle boarding to add to my workouts that I already do.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You are a vegetarian. Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I’m not a vegetarian but I do believe in eating healthy and staying away from fad diets. Everything in moderation and the more you cook at home the better.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hairs. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hairs to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I’m obsessed with Mission sunblock so I apply that before every practice. I keep my hair color dark because I find that’s easier to keep healthy. I try not to over wash my hair but apply a crazy amount of conditioner to help it not dry out.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words to our inspiring and budding professional swimming girls who all are your fans, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in the field of swimming?
Ms. Amanda Beard: There’s no quick way to climb the ladder. You have to practice patience. The best thing you can do for yourself is practice smart. The last thing you want to do is jump into a pool and practice awful strokes or become lazy. The ones that focus on perfecting the details usually end up having successful careers in the pool.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: How did you feel after your memorable win of gold medal in 200m breaststroke swimming at 2004 Athens Olympic Games?
Ms. Amanda Beard: Awesome! You can’t describe in words how great it was to enjoy that moment. There were so many people who sacrificed so much to allow me to train and get to that point in my career. It was so fun to be able to share that moment with them.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: It is known that you had fought back in competitions with sheer determination against all odds and returned to win. How you were able to overcome mental block when you are trailing and then reversed the final outcome of the race in your favor and what advice you can give to fellow swimmer person in a similar situation?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I’m not as strong as some of my competitors so to me it always came down to strategizing my race and how to approach it. I can’t dive in the pool and go all out from the beginning that’s not how I race. I have to stick to my own game plan and swim the race the way I was built to do it.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You struggled with bulimia nervosa and won. Elaborate on your fight with bulimia nervosa and what was your fitness regime for recovery after such a nightmare in the life of a sportsperson?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I’m very lucky that I had great people to support me. You can’t do it alone and I think that’s the hardest part for an athlete you just want to figure out how to fix it and move on. It wasn’t a weakness and I had to learn that. Take a step back and reflect on what’s really important in your life.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: Who has been your greatest influence and motivator in your success in the field of swimming?
Ms. Amanda Beard: In the pool I looked up to summer sanders and out of the pool my dad was a huge influence on me in sports. They kept me interested and helped me learn to dedicate myself to something.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about your autobiography ” In the Water They Can’t See You Cry: A Memoir”?
Ms. Amanda Beard: It’s a great book for all ages and genders. It basically puts it all out there for everyone to know and I want to tear down any idea of being embarrassed for who I was or what I’ve gone through. A lot of the athletes I encounter today go through the same things and I wanted them to know they are not alone.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about your endeavor in the field of modeling and hosting T.V. shows?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I always wanted to try anything at least once. I had and still have a great time doing TV workout and photo shoots. I think it’s fun to mix it up in my life and enjoy some of the opportunities that I’ve been given.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Amanda Beard: I truly believe in supporting one another and having a positive look at fitness. It’s not just how we look on the outside. It’s about being healthy and creating a healthy mind.
To know more about Amanda Beard, check out at: http://amandabeard.net
Women Fitness Team thanks Amanda Beard for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and shall also like to thank Evan Morgenstein and Raegan Herbert from PMG Sports who made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness