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Six-time Olympic gold medal champion swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen made history as the most successful athlete at the ’96 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, becoming the first American female athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympic Games. She also represented the United States in various international swimming competitions, including the 2000 Summer Olympics, World Aquatics Championships, and the Pan American Games. But after a devastating ATV accident in 2014, Van Dyken-Rouen was paralyzed from the waist down. Following rehabilitation, she was able to take her first steps with the help of a walker and a bionic device.
Following her retirement from swimming after the 2000 Olympics, Van Dyken-Rouen explored different career paths, including working as a radio personality, serving as a sideline reporter for the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos football teams, and co-hosting Fox Sports Radio's Fox Sports Tonight with Rob Dibble. She also acted in the award-winning stage-play "The Vagina Monologues."
Van Dyken-Rouen is a frequent speaker to nonprofit organizations and businesses across the country, being an encouraging symbol of strength and tenacity and a role model for individuals with debilitating injuries and ailments. Her talk at ESPN’s Women + Sports Summit reflects on her experiences as a world-class athlete and paraplegic and inspires others to develop their own “will to win" to accomplish their goals. Van Dyken-Rouen is also known for her involvement in various charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and runs an annual celebrity fundraiser in Evergreen, Colorado, to raise money for disadvantaged youth.
Despite competing with about 65% of normal lung capacity, Van Dyken-Rouen's determination led her to win several world titles and set numerous American and world records. Her success in swimming made her an instant celebrity and earned her many awards and accolades, including being named Swimming World's American Swimmer of the Year in 1995 and 1996, an Associated Press “Female Athlete of the Year,” an ESPN “ESPY Female Athlete of the Year,” and one of the “25 Most Influential Females in Sport” by Women's Sports and Fitness magazine. She was the only American swimmer to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2007 and was also inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in July 2008.
Videos
Speech Topics
Reaching for the Gold: From Asthma to the Olympics & Beyond
Olympian Amy Van Dyken has made a career out of beating the odds, both in and out of the pool. At 18 months old, she was diagnosed with three different kinds of asthma that left her with only 65% normal lung capacity. At the recommendation of her doctor, she joined a swim team and stayed at it for years, despite her inability to finish a single length of the pool and her debilitating asthma attacks. But in 1996, she made the Olympic team and won four Gold medals. The record-breaking swimmer then fought a shoulder injury and two operations to win a pair of gold medals for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
In 2014, Van Dyken-Rouen suffered an ATV accident that severed her spine and was in need of surgery with only a 20% chance of survival. Even though the surgery was a success, Van Dyken was still paralyzed from the waist down. Her life-changing experience would leave many devastated and depressed. But Van Dyken, grateful for her second chance, decided to dedicate her new life to inspiring others to grasp every moment and to not complain; teaching that this life is a gift and every day should be met with an air of gratitude. In “Reaching for Gold,” Amy shares her personal story of overcoming adversity and keeping a good attitude no matter the odds, and inspires audiences to look past their limits and reach for ther own version of gold.
The Will to Win
In “The Will to Win,” Amy Van Dyken discusses the need for relentless motivation and overcoming the limits and restraints others put on you – whether it be a coach, a friend, an adversary, yourself or even your own body. Van Dyken speaks plainly on both the physical and emotional obstacles that she has endured, as well as the emotional coming to terms with her new life and learning to embrace it.
Overcoming Injury
Lessons in Motivation from an Olympic Gold Medalist
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