NFL
By: Zachary Draves
She captured the hearts of millions with a record-setting performance in the pool at the Atlanta games as well as praise for her positive energy and pure resilience.
Amy Van Dyken-Rouen became the most decorated Olympian to come out of 1996 after she won four gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 4×100 meter freestyle, and 4×100 meter relay.
(Courtesy: US Olympic and Paralympic Museum)
(Courtesy: New York Daily News)
She also became the first woman in American sports history to win four gold medals in a single Olympics in what was truly the year of the woman as the swimming team matched the women’s soccer, basketball, gymnastics, and softball teams in unparalleled success.
(Courtesy: Youtube)
Afterward, she became an instant star and received various awards and accolades for her accomplishments including the ESPYs Awards Female Athlete of the Year, Swimming World magazine’s Female Swimmer of the Year award, induction into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame; induction into the US Olympic Hall of Fame, Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, USOC Sports Woman of the Year, the Women’s Sports Foundation Sports Woman of the Year and USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year.
She was also on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and Glamour as well as a featured guest on the Today Show, Rosie O’Donnell Show, and Late Night with David Letterman.
She was even in the Got Milk ads.
Her story is inspirational, to say the least and not just for what she did in the pool.
Amy has had to deal with much in her life including a lifelong battle with asthma and being paralyzed from the waist down after an ATV accident in 2014.
Her upbeat enthusiasm and radiant positivity is felt by all who come into contact with her and she is just an all-around amazing human being.
In what was truly a full-circle moment for me whose first Olympics was 1996, I had the greatest honor ever to interview Amy while I was in Omaha covering the Olympic Swimming Trials and she reflected back on those magical moments in Atlanta.
(Courtesy: Twitter)
What was it like competing in Atlanta in 1996?
It was crazy because normally we didn’t have big competitions like that in the United States back then. So we would always go and they would announce our names and there would be a few golf claps and some boos from other countries and so now we have this big huge Olympic crowd and they say anyone from the United States and it just goes nuts. So it was the coolest experience ever and really fun and that southern hospitality was real, it was awesome.
You were part of such a significant moment in Olympic history particularly in the US sporting landscape because from there we saw the growth and expansion of women’s sports swimming, gymnastics, basketball, softball, soccer. What was it like to be part of that legacy?
It was huge. I remember they were calling it the Women’s Olympics. You had the dream team and you had basketball, you had soccer with Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and all of the girls. I became the first American woman to win four golds in one games and it was in almost every sport. We had just something amazing happen to women and it was so cool and to see the WNBA happen right after that was spectacular. So we knew that women’s sports were getting a launchpad right then and there. It was cool and it was a lot of pressure in a way because you wanted to represent the women that were up incoming as well. It was neat and I was proud to do it.
With that, what do you remember most? Were there any specific moments that stood out for you all around in other sports?
Well, obviously it would be the night that I won the fourth gold. I didn’t realize what was about to happen. My coach didn’t tell me and he didn’t let anyone else tell me. This was before we had the Instagrams and the ticky-toks and the snappy chats. So I didn’t know any of this was going on and I saw all these people put up the number four, “4ever gold”, “Go Amy!” and I’m like “oh that’s really cool if I win another one it will be four, funny!” So when I got out of the pool and I saw my coach crying I was like this is a big deal and I didn’t realize it. So I went to do an interview and they asked “what is it like to break the record” and I was like “Oh you know I had a good start….” the guy’s looking at me weird. I was like “what?” and he says “you’re the first American woman to win four” and I literally looked into the camera and said “Shut up!” That is what I remember the most out of those Olympics. I mean nobody has broken it yet it is still twenty-five years standing. It stood for a while and it is something to be proud of.
What you accomplished winning those four gold medals had a huge impact on your life and the next thing you know you are on nightly talk shows and you’re traveling all over the place. What was that experience like having all the attention you received?
That was nuts. I was everywhere. I remember going to New York to do David Letterman and I went to Times Square to have dinner with my agent and I looked up and there I was in Times Square in this huge ad. It was really weird. I had to have security to go places for a while. It was very surreal because before that nobody knew who I was and then all of sudden I’m everywhere. I fly on an airplane and they bring you the trey and my picture was there and I’m like “for the love of god stop.” I got tired of seeing my own face so I’m pretty sure everybody got tired of seeing me to LOL. But it was really cool and really neat. I got to meet some people that I never thought I would meet. Certain celebrities were at the parties that I guess I was supposed to be hosting.
Was there any celebrity in particular that you were so excited to meet?
Oh my gosh, I wanna say almost everyone I’ve met. I’ve become friends with Charles Barkley. I got to meet Billy Baldwin who was married to China Phillips, I got to meet them. Olivia Dukakis. Obviously, Letterman and I’ve met Will Ferrell. The list goes on and on. It was really cool. It’s a cool life man, definitely different.
What do you think about where we were 25 years ago in Atlanta to where we are now with swimming? Did you ever think that swimming would ever reach this level of popularity?
Oh yeah absolutely because we are one of the premier sports in the Olympics. When you’ve got Michael (Phelps) doing what he did and breaking (Mark) Spitz record of course it was just going to skyrocket. We have so many great personalities that I am really excited to see. Everyone loves a good swim race and I think we’ve got enough great characters like Lilly King and back in the day Michael and maybe further back even myself. I think people like that and they want to cheer for that and I think that’s why it has become a premier sport even beyond what it was when I was swimming. I think it is great not only for the athletes but for sports in general.
How would you sum up Atlanta in 1996?
It has been incredible. Everyone remembers the Atlanta Olympics even if they weren’t born, they remember hearing or seeing something about it because it was in America and we don’t get that very often. I know that in 2028 we are getting it in LA but we haven’t had a games in America since then and it has been 25 years. So it is something to be proud of. I think that the team as a whole in all of the sports and all of the athletes put on a great show. It was really memorable. I am really proud every time I see a Michael Johnson or a Dan O’Brien or any of those other athletes doing what they did and you can still see them on TV to this day. The legacy is huge and I’m really proud to have been a part of it.
