A German biathlete had to have her tongue transplanted
As a junior, Juliane Frühwirt achieves great successes, but the breakthrough in the Biathlon-Worldcup eludes her yet. In the spring, the 26-year-old had a severe accident. The dramatic consequences of which she now shares, after she has fought her way back into a sports competition.
At the end of March, Juliane Frühwirt posted a picture of herself on Instagram and marked the location as the Klinikum Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Her mouth was covered by a compress, and the red spots looked like blood stains. "If it's going to be shit, then it's going to be real shit," wrote the German Biathlete, and thanked all "first responders, helicopter pilots, doctors, and nurses in Innsbruck and Garmisch." In the comments, the best wishes for recovery gathered from (former) teammates Franziska Hildebrand, Franziska Preuß, Sophia Schneider.
A few days ago, the 26-year-old herself shared the story behind this photo: "100 days after my accident [...] including a jaw fracture, tongue transplant, jawbone fracture, and several ugly teeth" she now stood at the starting line of an Ultratrail race. She didn't make it to the finish line, but experienced "the proudest (and also the first) DNF of my career." What kind of accident it was that left her so injured is not known.
She had been unsure for a long time whether "I can get back into sports. Apparently, my body has managed to repair everything," although there were good and bad days and "I'm often more tired than before the accident." Being able to participate in the Ultratrail race again was apparently a milestone in her recovery, even though she dropped out before the last climb: "It was enough for my body, and if I've learned anything in the last months, it's that that's completely okay."
She doesn't mention when she wants to compete in Biathlon races again, but emphasizes that she wants to "fight my way back into Biathlon." The hashtags "#ComebackStronger", "#WorkingOnADream", and "#MoreToCome" indicate, however, that she has not given up on professional sports despite all the adversities. Her greatest successes as a junior were in 2016 with gold in the sprint at the Olympic Youth Winter Games and in 2019 with gold in the pursuit at the Junior European Championships. According to "Münchner Merkur," she has appeared in the World Cup a total of ten times.
After her accident, Juliane Frühwirt expressed gratitude to the innkeeper in Innsbruck who provided her with comforting German language during her recovery. Despite facing challenges in Biathlon, such as jaw fracture and tongue transplant, she remains determined to return to the sport she loves.
