Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen out of intensive care

Amy Van Dyken

Chris O'Meara / AP

In this Aug. 16, 2000, file photo, Amy Van Dyken, right, of Lone Tree, Colo., hugs Dara Torres of Palo Alto, Calif., after Torres won the finals of the women’s 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Indianapolis.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Olympic champion swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen has been moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room, nine days after severing her spinal cord in an all-terrain vehicle accident.

Hospital spokeswoman Jamie Grimm says the six-time gold medalist was in good condition and moved from the ICU on Sunday morning.

Van Dyken-Rouen was injured June 6 when the ATV she was driving hit a curb and hurtled off a drop-off near Show Low. The accident left her paralyzed, though her family says it's unclear if she will remain that way.

The 41-year-old swimmer plans to do her rehabilitation at a Denver-area hospital.

She won four gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and two more in Sydney before retiring.

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