Biathlon - Zungentransplantation: Early Fighter will fight and inspire
Despite undergoing a tongue transplant due to a severe skiing accident, Biathlete Juliane Frühwirt intends to make a comeback in sports this year. "I want to establish myself in the World Cup. But it's not a must anymore, I'm completely free now and have a whole new gratitude, not just in sports", the 26-year-old told the German Press Agency. She drew many positive experiences from the accident despite its dramatic circumstances. "What others think or expect of me no longer burdens me as much. That's a good feeling."
Born in Gotha, the ski racer had fallen during a warm-up for a Sprint race in the Austrian Galtür under adverse conditions. In the ensuing fall, she collided her left ski pole into her face. It pierced her left cheek, tore a part of her tongue away, broke her jaw and jawbone, and chipped her front teeth.
"Looked like Quasimodo"
She pulled the pole out herself and thought, "Damn, the race is ruined". Only when she realized she couldn't call for help did she understand the gravity of the situation. A helicopter took her first to a clinic in Zams, then to Innsbruck for surgery.
"The pain during the operation was the worst of my life. The tongue piece was still in the pole. My tongue was so swollen after the procedure that my jaw joints were protruding", Frühwirt, who won gold in the Sprint at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, recalled. After part of her tongue was transplanted, she had to learn to swallow and drink anew. "I looked like Quasimodo." A feeding tube was something she refused, she wanted to fight. And she succeeded. Only a small scar on her cheek now reminds her of the injury.
Her parents, friends, and home trainers, including Bernhard Kröll, who had already trained Magdalena Neuner and Laura Dahlmeier, are deeply grateful to her. She began preparing for the new season again in May. Three months after the accident, she participated in the Stubai Ultratrail K 70 and completed a proud 63 kilometers.
New opportunities and old goals
After losing her civil servant position with the customs due to subpar performances in the previous season, she found it hard. But she saw it as an opportunity and became self-employed in the coaching sector. "That gives me an incredible amount to learn, I can help my clients realize their dreams."
Her dream of the World Cup has not yet been abandoned by Frühwirt. But above all, she wants to help others with her story. "The accident showed me that we have the opportunity to inspire people in high-performance sports", the 26-year-old said. Many had written to her that her story had given them strength and motivation. "If I've helped just one person, that's already worth it for me."
The German Press Agency reported Juliane Frühwirt's intentions to return to sports after her accident in Galtür, Austria. Frühwirt, hailing from Berlin, Germany, experienced a severe skiing incident in Gotha, where her left cheek was injured due to a ski pole. Despite the setback, she participated in the Stubai Ultratrail K 70 three months post-accident. The German Biathlete has found new opportunities following her civil servant position loss due to subpar performances and is now self-employed in the coaching sector. Frühwirt's dream of World Cup participation hasn't waned, but she feels inspired to help others using her story. The accident in Austria also led to an outpouring of support from her family, friends, and trainers, including Bernhard Kröll.
