Amy Van Dyken, the six-time Olympic gold medalist, threw the opening pitch in an NLCS game

Amy Van Dyken, a former American swimmer, achieved Olympic success, set a world record, and currently serves as a sports commentator on the radio.

Amy Van Dyken, the six-time Olympic gold medalist, threw the opening pitch in an NLCS game

Amy Van Dyken [Image Credit-Swim Swan]

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Amy Van Dyken, a six-time Olympic gold medalist residing in the Phoenix vicinity, took the honor of throwing the opening pitch for Game 3. Nevertheless, unlike Michael Phelps, she achieved a win for the Diamondbacks against the Phillies right from her first throw, which was their first successful outcome in the series.

Van Dyken, aged 50, competed in the Olympic Games of 1996 and 2000, emerging victorious with six gold medals. Among them, four were relays. Individual events such as the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly were also part of the list in 1996. She became the first American woman to win four gold medals for swimming in the 1996 Olympics.

After leaving the world of swimming in 2014, Van Dyken suffered injuries from an ATV accident. Due to the accident, she experienced a separation of her spinal cord at the T11 vertebra, resulting in the loss of mobility in her legs. This isn’t Van Dyken’s first time on the mound, there have been previous instances.

In 2015, she had the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a Diamondbacks game as it was Disabilities Awareness Day. Following her retirement from swimming, Van Dyken took on the role of a radio host in the morning and served as a co-host on a sports show for Fox Sports Radio.

Amy Van Dyken’s retirement and her career highlight

Van Dyken ended her competitive swimming career after the 2000 Olympics. She entered matrimony with Tom Rouen, a former National Football League punter, in 2001. They divide their time between Scottsdale, Arizona, and Keystone, Colorado.

Amy Van Dyken [Image Credit- U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum]
Amy Van Dyken [Image Credit- U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum]

Following her retirement from swimming, Van Dyken transitioned into coaching swimmers and taking on the role of a radio show host in Arizona. However, things started to go downhill for her in 2014, after she sustained severe injuries in an ATV accident in Arizona.

The injury had an impact on her spinal cord. Her legs became immobile as a consequence of the accident severing her spinal cord. Amy’s Army was created by Van Dyken following her extensive recovery.

To assist children challenged by spinal cord injuries, this organization in Scottsdale offers wheelchairs and financial support for scientific research endeavoring to develop strategies for establishing connections in broken spinal cords and enhancing movement capabilities. Her involvement in philanthropy in Colorado extends to organizations like Colorado Youth Outdoors.

She and her husband collaborate to host the yearly Tom Rouen and Amy Van Dyken Celebrity Shootout in Evergreen. She achieved numerous gold medals in the Olympics. In 1996, she achieved a remarkable feat by winning four of them, becoming the first American woman to accomplish such a feat.

In terms of accomplishments, she stood out as the most successful athlete in the 1996 Summer Olympics. First place was claimed by her in the 50-meter swimming race, 100-meter butterfly race, as well as both of the 4×100-meter team swimming races.

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