Background
Suzy Favor was born in 1968 to Conrad and Rachel (Skundberg) Favor in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Suzy Favor was born in 1968 to Conrad and Rachel (Skundberg) Favor in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1991. She attended and competed at Stevens Point Area Senior High, graduating in 1986. She finished 11th in her qualifying round race in the 1500 meters in 1992, 4th in her qualifying race in the 800 meters in 1996.
She competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics. Her brother Dan Favor committed suicide in 1999. Running
Favor Hamilton began running at age nine.
Coached by Peter Tegen, she became one of the top middle distance runners in the United States of America in the 1990s.
In 1991 and 1992, Favor Hamilton was a volunteer assistant cross country coach at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Favor Hamilton competed in the Summer Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000.
Prostitution
In December 2012, after being confronted by a reporter from The Smoking Gun, Favor Hamilton admitted that she worked as an escort prostitute. She had started with Haley Heston Private Collection in December 2011, using the name "Kelly Lundy." The investigative report also noted the Hamilton household did not appear to be experiencing any financial difficulties.
Favor claims her decision to become a prostitute was made under the influence of her antidepressant medication, a misdiagnosis of her bipolar disorder, and an unfamiliarity with the mental illness.
In a series of tweets regarding her work as an escort, she wrote that it provided an "escape", and that "I do not expect people to understand.. the reasons for doing this made sense to me at the time.."
In an interview with American Broadcasting Company News, Favor Hamilton said, "I had lost control after that first appointment. I wanted more." She had learned from her therapist that the antidepressant she was taking lifted her mood to the point of putting her in a manic state, saying "lieutenant wasn"t Suzy. I keep trying to emphasize that wasn"t medical
lieutenant was the disease."
After her prostitution was exposed to the public, the Big Ten renamed the award for Female Athlete of the Year which had previously carried her name.
Favor Hamilton also lost several sponsorships, including one with the Rock "n" Roll marathon and half marathon franchise. Other notable businesses such as Nike severed ties with Favor as well.