Born October 29, 1981 in Irvine, California, American swimmer Amanda Beard exploded in an international swimming pool at a young age of 13 at the 1995 Pan Pacific Championships in Atlanta, Georgia. He was a member of the Irvine Novaquatics swimming team. At the 1995 Pan Pacs, Beard won a silver medal as a breaststroker in the 400 medley relay and two bronze in the 100 breast and 200 breast, respectively. He made his Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games where he ran for the gold medal as part of the 400 medley relay and two silver medals in the 100 breast and 200 medals as well. Considering his young age — he was the second youngest swimmer in American history to win an Olympic medal — it comes as no surprise that his beloved teddy bear was accompanied by an amazing breaststroker during this intense pressure encounter. Ntshebe's bear watched his race behind the first stand, waited for him near the warm pool, and joined him at the medal stand. He was soon to become an Olympic stadium, forming the 2000 Olympic team and winning bronze in 200 breasts at the Sydney Games.
As the beard grew, the teddy bear was rare, but his skills as a world-class chef were at the forefront. A key member of the University of Arizona women's team, Beard won the NCAA Division 1 national tournament in the 100th breastfeeding tournament in 2001. In 2003 she became the American record holder and world champion in the 200m breastfeeding. Beard will also break that record at the 2004 US Olympic Trials. He went on to win the same event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Athens was a particularly beautiful Beard Games; she also won silver medals in 200 IM and as part of a 400 medley relay where her 100 breaststroke split would have earned her one gold medal.
Beard made his fourth Olympic debut in 2008. In those games in Beijing, she finished 18th in the 200th breastfeeding but did so as the captain of the women's team. So, while he may have been disappointed with his performance in the pool at those Games, he undoubtedly had a positive impact on the Olympians for the first time in his role as team captain. A true fan of the game, Bhova retired in 2010, finishing second at 200 breasts at the National Championships that year. She joined Olympic veteran Natalie Coughlin as US National Team captain and ran the 100th and 200th breasts at the Pan Pacific Championships in her hometown of Irvine, California. Beard continued his training, qualifying for the 2012 US Olympic Games. However, she did not do what would have been her fifth Olympic team, and slept in fifth place at 200 breasts in that Trials.
Indeed the swimming community watched the Beard grow in and out of the lake. Beard has successfully cemented his reputation as a swimmer in a successful modeling career with the media. He has appeared in FHM magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. He was the author of Fox Network's "The Best Damn Sports Show Period".Beard is a strong defender of animal rights, appearing naked in the furry ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He is also a spokesman for Defenders of Wildlife. Therefore, it should not surprise us that Beard is a vegetarian.
