Breaststroke Pays Off For Beard

You might remember Amanda Beard — she was the 14-year-old Olympic swimmer who carried her teddy bear to the pool and proceeded to win two silver medals in 1996. Well, Beard is all grown up now, and you can see her 8-photo spread in the July issue of Playboy.

I always thought women posed in Playboy when they had nothing left to do, but Beard — now 25 — has no plans to leave the pool. Now a reigning gold medalist, Beard hopes to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and she's also hoping that her stint as a Playmate will psyche out the competition. She says on her website, "The more I can distract them from swimming, the better."

Regarding the inevitable "role model" issue that will undoubtedly plague her in the months (or years) to come, Beard tells the New York Times, “I’m healthy. I work out like crazy. I’m not one of those people that’s partying wee into the hours. This, I think, is a better role model than most.”

The July issue of Playboy is out now.

Splish, splash,
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