Dyken-Rouen to get back in pool for rehab

Six-time Olympic gold medallist swimmer Amy Van Dyken severed her spine in an all-terrain vehicle accident (Denis Paquin/AP).

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen is getting back in the pool as part of her rehabilitation.

The six-time gold medallist tweeted early Tuesday that she was excited to find out she would be swimming later in the day. She found out when a nurse came in the middle of the night to change her position and immediately posted about it using the hashtag #Freedom.

On Monday, she posted a photo of herself standing up with the help of a standing frame at Craig Hospital in suburban Denver, where she arrived last week.

A June 6 ATV crash in Arizona has left the 41-year-old paralyzed just below the waist. The odds of her ever walking again are long but she has impressed her doctors and fans with her positive attitude.

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