Swimmer Amy Van Dyken, winner of multiple Olympic gold medals, also views imagery as a key to her success. Van Dyken did not swim competitively until about age 14, and she believes her ability to use imagery helped compensate for her lack of experience. Before the 1994 NCAA national championships, she imagined swimming the 50-meter freestyle from start to finish in less than 21.6 seconds. In reality, she finished in 21.7, setting a new American record (Van Dyken 1995)