Amy Van Dyken

Amy Van Dyken narrowly missing the 1992 US Olympic team while still in high school. Swimming for Colorado State, she qualified for the 1994 World Championships, where she medalled in the 50 m freestyle (bronze), as well as with two relay squads. After victories at the 1995 Pan Pacific Championships and Pan American Games, and a world record in early 1996, Van Dyken was slated to become one of swimming's stars at the Atlanta Olympics. She won four Olympic golds (the first US woman to achieve this in a single Olympics), earning them in the 50 m free, 100 m butterfly, and the freestyle and medley relays. She narrowly missed the podium in the 100 m freestyle, coming home in fourth. Despite bouts with injury, Van Dyken added to her prize cabinet at the 1998 Worlds, winning three golds (50 m free plus two relay golds). In Sydney Van Dyken added two golds to her tally in the relays, while placing fourth in the 50 m freestyle. Although later honored with induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Van Dyken was not an uncontroversial swimmer. She was known for spitting into the lanes of her biggests opponents on occasion, and in 2003 she was interrogated as a client of BALCO in the steroids scandal, which involved many high profile athletes, such as athlete Marion Jones and baseball player Barry Bonds. Van Dyken is married to American football player Tom Rouen, long-time player for the Denver Broncos, with whom he won the Super Bowl twice.