Amy Van Dyken On Olympic Gold And The Spinal Cord Injury That Changed Her Life

Amy Van Dyken first hit the sports world’s radar around the time she was named Swimming World‘s American Swimmer of the Year in 1995, and then again 1996—the same year she won four Olympic gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Van Dyken was the first woman to achieve such a feat, and to this day four gold medals in Olympic swimming has only been matched—by Katie Ledecky.

Four years later after some troubles with injury, the Colorado-born swimmer then-27-year-old multi-event athlete soldiered through the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. That Olympics, she won two more gold medals , bringing her total career Olympic medal count to six. To this day Van Dyken has the distinction of being one of few Olympians to win only gold medals.

But long after her retirement as an Olympian and active Team USA swimmer, Van Dyken’s world changed. She was injured in a serious ATV-riding in June 2014, and the accident damaged her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

When I spoke to her this month, Van Dyken leaned on the positive, emphasizing that she stays very active and that the injury has mostly “slowed” her down and prolong certain activities, but doesn’t—in her mind—limit her greatly.

At the end of October, I talked with Amy Van Dyken about her time as an Olympian and experiences since leaving the water.

Andy Frye: You’ve won a boatload of Olympic medals. Which event for you is the most memorable or most important?

Amy Van Dyken: I would have to say the 100m butterfly gold in Atlanta ’96. I had been working a lot on that event, but it had never really come together. I made the team, and instant talks about me pulling out to let someone else swim began. I wasn’t the best in this event in the country, not to mention the world, but I knew I had made the team in this event for a reason. I had time to get my butterfly up to board…and I worked so hard on it.

Related story: Fail spectacularly to be great, says Katie Ledecky

In the end, I won gold in the flipping Olympics! I was stunned, everyone was stunned. I knew in that moment that this Olympics was going to be something special for me. If I won my worst event, what would happen when I swam my best ever? Then history was made. I became the first American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics. It’s only been tied, not broken. So, that 100m butterfly means the world to me for several reasons.

AF: You have been swimming all your life, but when did you decide to go all-in?

Van Dyken: I decided to go all in when I was a senior in High School. Before this, I had improved every year…which was cool. At the state swim meet, I qualified for the 1992 Olympic Trials. Before this, I knew my times were getting better, but I never thought the Olympics were in view until this meet. After only training once a day and making that cut, I thought to myself…what could happen if I trained like an Olympian? So I started two-a-day (practice sessions) when I got to college…and man did that make a difference.

AF: In Tokyo, a few stars like Katie Ledecky struggled to dominate the way the USA is known to do. Is swimming more competitive?

Van Dyken: It’s always been super competitive! Katie just makes it look easy. I believe there were several reasons the USA team got off to a slow start in Tokyo. I was working for NBC, so I got to see all the races.

The team may have needed a few extra days of rest. Maybe physical rest, or mental rest…they needed rest. As the meet went on, everyone got faster. It wasn’t a matter of the USA being not as good as years past. They were set up to win almost every race. Sometimes, things are out of your control (like this was), and you have to get through it. I think the team did an awesome job of just focusing and getting thru the hard first few days. I expect Katie to be the one to break my four golds record, and I want to be there so I can give her the biggest hug. Paris…watch out!!!

Related story: Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin talks triumphs, tough times

AF: You did radio for a while and served as an NFL sideline too. Talk about that experience.

Van Dyken: I was the only female voice on a show as a co-host on FOX Sports Radio. We were everywhere, it seemed. I had done local radio, and national TV, but nothing will ever compare to the sports talk radio I did from L.A. I was partnered with Rob Dibble, who was an amazing athlete and radio host. We had the time of our lives. It was hard at first to be a woman in that position. Some didn’t want to hear a woman talk about sports, (just) because I know swimming—how can I talk about baseball? But I won the men over, and it was amazing. If I ever had that opportunity again…I would jump at the offer!

AF: Your life obviously changed after your 2014 ATV accident, but it seems you’re still very active. How has your routine changed as an athlete?

Van Dyken: My life has changed so much. I used to wake up 30 minutes before CrossFit, then run errands and get tons done every day. Now, I need at least an hour to get going.

A noon CrossFit class is sometimes hard to get to. Running a ton of errands every day is not something I can do as much. I take my wheelchair apart every time I get in the car, and put it together again to get out of the car. It is a lot. I used to get frustrated at this, but I’ve learned that maybe life wanted me to slow down a bit. So, I have to—against my own will.

AF: The Denver Broncos have gotten off to a so-so start. Where do you think they’ll end up this season?

Van Dyken: I’m sad at the win-loss numbers for them. Everyone was so excited to get Wilson from Seattle. We need to remember that he has played for 10 years and he’s played hard. I think everyone wanted the Wilson of his first few years, which could never happen. I’m not sure this is their year for a winning record, but I will cheer just as hard for them this year. I have faith in the front office to make the right moves to give Wilson all the tools he needs to lead us to a Super Bowl, just not this year.

They say you can tell God is a Bronco fan. That’s why sunsets are orange and blue. GO BRONCOS!!!

Read Frye’s interviews with Katie Ledecky and Lindsey Vonn.

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