Amy Van Dyken-Rouen
Cherry Creek
One of the world’s most recognizable sport celebrities, Amy Van Dyken-Rouen got her start at Cherry Creek High School where she had a stellar swimming career.
She helped her team to the 1991 6A state title and won the 50 free and 100 butterfly in 1990 and 1991, setting the state record in both events. She also helped the Bruins’ 400 free relay win a state championship. She was named the 1991 Female Swimmer of the Year.
From CCHS, Van Dyken-Rouen went on to the Universiy of Arizona and then Colorado State University, where she broke her first United States record with a time of 21.77 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships in 1994. She also placed second in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard freestyle. In 1994, she was named the NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA, Van Dyken became the first American female athlete in history to win 4 gold medals in a single Olympic games. Her success in swimming won her a wide variety of awards and accolades, including: the
ESPY Female Athlete of the Year award;
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; named
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 won two more Gold Medals at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Since her retirement, Van Dyken has toured on a number of speaking engagements to groups as varied as schools and multi-national corporations, she has been a disc jockey on a sports radio show in Arizona,
After suffering a serious injury several years ago, she has become a strong spokesperson for the Paralympic athletes and those with spinal cord injuries.