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Outside Magazine, October 2007

30th Anniversary Special: Outside All-Stars
Amanda Beard
Olympic swimmer/gold medalist

Intro/Lance Armstrong | Ben Harper | Lynn Hill | Kelly Slater | Jake Burton | Ed Viesturs | Amanda Beard | Laird Hamilton | Scott Lindgren

Amanda Beard
(Photograph by Christian Witkin)

I always wonder what people are downloading. That's such a bizarre thing to be thinking about—people on the computer actually looking up pictures of me. I've always felt like this big frumpy dork, never a sex symbol.

I take a lot of heat for everything I do. I ride motorcycles and dirt bikes. I snowboard and surf. But as long as I can swim and put together some great times, people shouldn't have a problem with what I do in my outside life.

I think that my background justifies it for me, makes me more credible. That stuff doesn't take away my medals or records, which speak for themselves.

Swimming definitely has a lot of trash talking going on. Dirty looks, people spitting in each other's lanes. Everyone asks me if I try to intimidate my competitors, but I don't think I have that look about me. Usually, I'm laughing my butt off and joking around before I swim—and I think that actually gets to people more.

—INTERVIEW BY STEPHANIE PEARSON



Next Page: Big-wave surfer

Intro/Lance Armstrong | Ben Harper | Lynn Hill | Kelly Slater | Jake Burton | Ed Viesturs | Amanda Beard | Laird Hamilton | Scott Lindgren