STANFORD -- Recent graduate Emily Silver wants Olympic gold no matter what.

After sustaining two spiral fractures in her right hand, Silver got back in the water for the first time on Saturday afternoon.

"I said to myself, 'I'm going to do everything in my power to make this situation okay,'" Silver said. "I'm going to work twice as hard as everyone else if I have to, but I'm going to make that team."

She had surgery a month away from the start of the 2008 Olympics, but there might not be enough time for her to fully recover for Beijing.

Silver said she hopes to dawn the red, white and blue, but she also wants the U.S. to race the most capable athletes. If she is unable to compete, Kara Lynn Joyce will take her spot in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

It's an uneasy feeling for the 22-year-old, who was overwhelmed with happiness a mere nine days ago when she was named to her first Olympic team.

"I've never felt that much emotion or cried that much from being happy before," Silver said.

That happiness lasted less than 24 hours. In the 50m freestyle preliminaries, Silver hopped out of the Qwest Center pool in Omaha, Neb., knowing her hand was broken.

"It immediately started to swell," Silver said. "I knew what it felt like and what it looked like. I could actually feel one of the bones that broke."

It was the third time she broke the same hand, but this time it put her Olympic hopes in doubt.

"I've never felt so happy before in my life to make the team, and then within hours, I've never felt so devastated," Silver said. "It's something that I've wanted for so long, a dream come true.

"And then it was shattered."

Silver immediately informed Cal head coach and U.S. assistant coach Teri McKeever, but she said she had feared the worst by then.

With her Olympic dreams in jeopardy, Silver maturely collected herself and stood in front a packed Qwest Center to be recognized for her accomplishments, the skills that brought her to this point in her career.

"I still didn't know if they would let me go to the Olympics," Silver said. "So this was the one thing that I wanted. I went up there, and I just tried to act like nothing was wrong."

Two days later she was in surgery, reassured that U.S. head coach Mark Schubert wanted her in China. She has started rehab with a waterproof cast, and within two weeks, she will replace it with a removable splint.

"I've done this twice before," Silver said. "I know exactly what to do this time. I'm not afraid."

Nothing is certain, but Silver said she will continue to train with the same determination as she did before the trials. Still, she remains selfless, wishing only the best for the country that gave her the chance to be an Olympian.

"I have to prepare myself for anything," Silver said. "I want our team to be able to the best that we can and go in and win a gold medal. I'm willing do what is best for the United States."

Tags: EMILY SILVER, ROAD TO BEIJING