About Me
Why Nordic Combined?
A Traumatic Accident
About six years ago, on 12 August 2001, I had an accident which almost ended my career. In the mountains of all places! The mountains which had always been my source of motivation and energy … My dad and I were climbing in the Wilder Kaiser range when all of a sudden a rock came loose and sent me flying down 30 meters. I only narrowly escaped the wheelchair. I was left with a shattered L3/L4 disc and shredded vertebrae. I addition I had fractured the metatarsal in my right foot and suffered from bruising and abrasions on my hips and in my face. I underwent surgery during which bone grafts from my hip were placed between each vertebra to stabilize my spine. And if that was not enough I acquired an infection while in the ICU and ran a severe fever for some time. It was pretty traumatic and had a big impact on me – especially since I had been the team’s promising rookie with a team bronze medal at the World Championships in Lahti, the sprint gold medal at the Junior World Championships and my first world cup podium. But I slowly fought my way back to where I am now and this is my greatest success story. One of my biggest assets was my positive attitude. It helped me through many obstacles in Rehab. As an athlete, my body is my instrument. I worked hard to get better and step by step I regained my strength. Today I’m back in top shape.
In January 2002 I celebrated my World Cup comeback.
