Childhood Asthma to Olympic Champion
Episode description
Amy Van Dyken-Rouen holds the record for being the first American woman to win 4 gold medals in the same Olympic Games. As a child suffering from severe asthma, Amy took up swimming to improve her lung capacity and breathing, which enabled her to become part of a team and do the the kind of things kids like to do. By high school, Amy narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 1992 games. She spent her college years training and qualifying for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, winning a total of 6 gold medals in free-style and butterfly. She is one of few athletes in history to have won only gold medals! We caught up with Amy while covering the US Olympic swim trials for the Tokyo Games in Omaha to see which athletes stand out to her, as well as, to understand the commitment required to be the best in the world.
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