A native of Irvine, California, 20-year-old Amanda Beard is a 4-time Olympic medalist from the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Games. Her winning breaststroke earned her a Gold and two Silver Medals in the 1996 Olympic Games as well as a Bronze Medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. Following Amanda?s successful Olympics in Australia, she had a tremendous year in 2002 by smashing the American Record in the 200m Breaststroke and winning two Gold Medalist at the Pan Pacific Championships last Summer. In 2002, Beard broke the United States record in the 200m breaststroke at the second World Cup stop, and she won the 100m and 200m breast at the Pan Pacific Championships.

In addition to being a professional athlete and model, Amanda is finishing her studies at the University of Arizona and is nurturing a long-time interest in environmental protection and marine issues.

--Defenders.org