Sometimes it can seem morbid.
Norwegian elite skier Alexander Aamodt Kilde, who was taken by helicopter straight to the hospital almost a month ago after a terrible fall in Wengen, is releasing information about his uncertain future to the world.
This approach is not necessarily common among Czech skiers.
At first things looked pretty positive with Kild. No broken leg as it originally appeared. “Just” a cut calf by the edge of a ski with peripheral nerve damage and a dislocated shoulder.
It might have seemed optimistic, maybe two months off the racing slopes. In Bern and Innsbruck, however, Kilde underwent two surgeries at the same time – legs and shoulders. He soon provided much more detailed information, which was no longer so optimistic.
First, he posted a photo on social networks of him lying in the hospital with a bruised face, and next to him is his girlfriend, the phenomenal downhill skier Mikaela Shiffrin. In another photo, the American woman feeds Noro with a spoon because he is unable to eat himself.
Kilde then attended an online press conference from the Innsbruck hospital, where he described the situation surrounding his injury as still unclear. “It’s still too early to say if I’ll be able to ski like before and win races again. But of course I want to go back to what I love,” he added.
Drastic openness
Ten days later, he posted drastic pictures of the scars from the surgery. “I wanted to show what the injury is. People told me that it was not that serious after all and that they would see me soon. But he won’t see. Those photos aren’t for everyone, but they made people respect the injury.”
Kilde described it as a very difficult time with a lot of pain, two operations in two places. “It takes time and I have time now. For me, the most important thing is to be able to stand on my feet and walk. Perform movements that are needed for normal life. And I will take it day by day,” said the Olympic and World Championship medalist and overall World Cup winner.
A few days ago, Nor published the first photo of him no longer lying on a bed, but sitting in a wheelchair. This week, he showed on video how he tries to take his first steps in a special device that lifts him up.
In addition to online press and social media activities, Kilde also completed a unique remote interview when he accepted an invitation to the AmericanDownhiller podcast. He talked openly about his situation straight from his hospital bed in the company of famous American downhill riders of the recent past – Daron Rahlves, Mark Sullivan, AJ Kitt and Doug Lewis.
“Hi, I’m in Innsbruck right now in the hospital undergoing rehabilitation,” Kilde confided in the podcast. “It’s quite different from normal for me, but it’s nice to talk to people and do other things. I underwent two operations in Bern and Innsbruck, calves and shoulders. It’s progressing well, but there’s definitely a lot of work to be done. It will be a long and difficult process.”
Sometimes smiling, sometimes a little brooding, Kilde described how he rides in a wheelchair, trying to stay positive, just doing what he can. That he is going through a lot of therapy to improve his physical and mental condition in order to get back on his feet.
“For me, it was actually the first such hard fall at high speed, so I’m trying to come to terms with it. Even seeing it again, talking about it with the right people to understand what actually happened. And to find out what I should do next time so that it doesn’t happen… Now I can’t do much on my own, but maybe talking about it is very important, I think.”
At the same time, sharing pictures of falls and injuries allows him to show people what downhill skiing is like. That he is dangerous, brutal, but still beautiful. “So far I have understood that I have to go day by day, stay positive. This will be a long journey, I don’t know where it will lead me, but I have to leave everything behind and go forward,” said the Norwegian downhiller.
His difficult situation and his efforts to deal with it can also serve as a good example for athletes in a similar situation.
Kilde’s goal is an absolutely fair approach to fans, sponsors and the environment. The racer knows that it is better not to hide anything, because then guesswork and untruths come. In the second plan, he increases the support of the fan zone, and last but not least, informing him about his own situation can serve as therapy.
