Amanda Beard

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Amanda Beard, born October 29, 1981, in Newport Beach, California, is an American swimmer and coach. She is a seven-time Olympic medalist, with two golds, four silvers, and one bronze. She began competing at 14 and became one of the youngest American Olympic medalists in 1996, winning gold in the 4×100 medley relay and silvers in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke.

Beard won bronze in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and in 2004 in Athens she earned gold in the 200 m breaststroke and silvers in the 200 m individual medley and the 4×100 medley relay. She competed in Beijing in 2008 but did not reach the semifinals in the 200 m breaststroke.

She swam for the University of Arizona, winning an NCAA title in the 200 m breaststroke in 2001 and earning multiple All-American honors. Beard set the world record in the 200 m breaststroke (long course) and became a world champion.

After briefly retiring, she returned to competition in 2010 and later participated in the Pan Pacific Championships. Beyond swimming, Beard did modeling and broadcasting, and co-founded Beard Swim Co. She has worked as a stroke consultant and coach, including at UCLA and the University of Arizona, where she joined as an assistant coach in 2023 and continued in that role.

Beard has been married to photographer Sacha Brown since 2009. They have two children: a son, Blaise Ray (born 2009), and a daughter, Doone Isla (born 2013). She has spoken about struggles with body image and mental health, including dyslexia, and published a memoir in 2012 titled In the Water They Can't See You Cry.

In 2018, Beard was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.