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#Blizzard2016: Olympian will miss Broncos game

Posted at 11:09 AM, Jan 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-23 14:56:27-05

An Olympian who was to be honored along with three Denver Broncos Hall of Fame finalists at the AFC Championship game on Sunday won't be able to attend the ceremony due to severe weather in the northeast. 

Amy Van Dyken-Rouen, wife of former Broncos punter Tom Rouen and Olympic champion, was to be recognized as this game's Broncos Country Hero during the first quarter break of the game against the New England Patriots.

In an Instagram post uploaded Friday night, the Olympic swimmer said "Snowzilla" or "the Blizzard of 2016," was shutting everything down and consequently, she would be stuck in Baltimore until Monday. 

 

We are in the #StormOfTheCentury #LAXCon2016 #wine #Stuck

A video posted by Amy Van Dyken (@amyvandyken) on

Van Dyken-Rouen was paralyzed in an ATV crash on June 6, 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona. She and Tom Rouen were riding ATV's when Amy hit a curb and went down an embankment. She is still in therapy.

Van Dyken-Rouen starred at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where she became the first U.S. female athlete to win four gold medals in a single games. She captured the 50-meter freestyle and 100 butterfly and also competed on the winning relay teams in the 400 free and 400 medley.

Four years later at Sydney, she added two more golds in the 400 free and 400 medley relays before retiring from competition.

Broncos alumni Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater and John Lynch will be honorary team captains Sunday. They'll join the Broncos' and Patriots' team captains for the coin toss of Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

The three Broncos are among the 15 players being considered for the Hall of Fame's 2016 class. The final announcement is expected Feb. 6.

Also at the game Sunday, singer-songwriter Andy Grammer will sing the National Anthem and two F/A-18 Super Hornets from "the Vampires of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine," from  Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in Ridgecrest, Calif. will perform a fly-over.

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