Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken joins in boating day

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Olympic swimmer Amy Van Dyken-Rouen joined about 50 other patients at her rehabilitation hospital for a day of boating near Denver.

They rode small sailboats Friday across Cherry Creek Reservoir as part of Craig Hospital’s 35th annual Hobie Day. The outing was intended to show people what’s possible after suffering catastrophic injuries and to test the skills they’ve been learning in real-world conditions.

An all-terrain vehicle accident in Arizona in June left Van Dyken-Rouen paralyzed below the waist.

Earlier this week, the six-time Olympic gold medalist boasted on Twitter that she had finally graduated from a hospital bed to a regular bed. She also posted a photo of her sporty new wheelchair. It has purple rims and skulls etched into its metal bars.

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