CHICAGO — Cherry Creek High School grad Amy Van Dyken, who overcame severe asthma to win four gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and two more in Sydney four years later, today was named to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
“I look at the people who were nominated with me and I’m honestly and truly shocked to have gotten in,” Van Dyken said from Modesto, Calif., where she was making a public appearance. “I’m of course extremely humbled. I look at what I did, it was a great acoomplishment, and I’m extremely proud of it, but it’s myself so I don’t see it as being that spectacular.
“To feel that other people feel it’s that great puts a different perspective on it for me. It touches me that the other people appreciate what I did in this manner.”
Joining her in the 2008 class will be volleyball star Karch Kiraly, wrestler Bruce Baumgartner, marathoner Joan Benoit, figure skater Brian Boitano, boxer Oscar de La Hoya, equestrian J. Michael Plumb, basketball center David Robinson, shooter Lones W. Wigger Jr. and Paralympic swimmer John Morgan.
“It’s such a thrill,” Van Dyken said. “I’ve had an opportunity to look and see who’s being inducted with me and I’m absolutely thrilled to be amongst those athletes. The company that I am in is outstanding,” she said.
The selections, which were based on voting by the public and members of the Olympic family, were announced this afternoon at a USOC media event in Chicago. More than 100,000 people voted online.
The induction ceremony will be held in Chicago on June 19. Van Dyken previously scheduled an appearance that day for Nike Golf which sponsors her.
“I was like, there’s no way this is going to happen,” Van Dyken said. “I called Nike (Tuesday) and they’re like, ‘This is the best excuse you could have to not show up to your tournament.’ They gave me their blessing.”
In 1996 Van Dyken became the first American female to win four gold medals at the same Olympic Games. She also won six world championships medals over her career, three of them gold.
A former Colorado State swimmer who was named NCAA swimmer of the year in 1994, Van Dyken was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the International Swimming Hall of Fame last year.
Also named to this year’s class of inductees are figure skating coach Carlo Fassi, figure skater Carol Heiss Jenkins, the 1996 U.S. women’s gymnastics team and Hollywood producer Frank Marshall, who has been very involved in the Olympic movement in a variety of areas.
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
