Monique van der Vorst has been paralyzed from the waist down since she was 13. The 27-year-old handcyclist already has two silver medals from the Paralympics, but now that a “miracle crash” has reversed her paralysis, Van Der Vorst is hoping to get a medal from the able-bodied Olympics in 2016.
Reuters reports that Van Der Vorst was hit by a bicycle last year while she was training for the 2012 London Paralympics. While recovering, Van Der Vorst started to feel tingling in her legs. Miraculously, after months of rehab, Van Der Vorst regained the ability to walk.
Doctors cannot explain Van Der Vorst’s recovery.
The 27-year-old athlete is thrilled with her new walking skills, but admits that she misses her sport.
Van Der Vorst said:
“Although walking is the best thing you could do in life, I immediately missed the sport, the people and the challenges.”
But Van Der Vorst could find herself back at the Olympic Games as she has just signed with the Rabobank women’s professional cycling team to train for the 2016 Olympics.
Van Der Vorst isn’t quite at speed with the rest of the Rabobank team yet, but she also hasn’t ridden a bike since she was 13-years-old.
Do you think Van Der Vorst will make the 2016 Olympic team?
She’s already won two silver medals from the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, was named the disabled Dutch athlete of the year in 2009, and won the 2009 Ironman world championship in Hawaii… I wouldn’t bet against her.
