Vincent Veile was the first German to do a quadruple somersault on skis. But a competition turns into a fiasco. He tears his cruciate ligament. Now he is back faster than expected and is fighting for his participation in the Olympics. Months of torment lie behind him.
The journey leaves no doubt. Full of determination, Vincent Veile pushes himself forward with two strokes of the stick, picks up additional speed with skating steps and drives towards the impressive kicker. Germany’s best freeskier races over the huge jump, takes off, spins several times in the air, grabs his skis and lands the spectacular jump safely.
What was everyday life for the 27-year-old last season is an emotional highlight on the Stubai Glacier in mid-November. For him, his physiotherapist and his trainers – just seven months after tearing his cruciate ligament, Veile is back on the slopes. The fight for the Olympic Games next February in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo has been driving him since the moment of the devastating injury.
“I tore my cruciate ligament in mid-April at a freestyle event in Laax. I tried a new trick that had never been done before and I flew out of the somersault axis and then landed sideways. Unfortunately, the inner ligament and the cruciate ligament were through. I immediately noticed that it was something worse,” said Veile in an interview with WELT AM SONNTAG.
“After the operation I went all in”
The last event of last season was a fiasco for the Ulm native, who was the first German to do a quadruple somersault on skis. But just two days after the accident, Manuel Köhne operated on Veile’s damaged knee in Munich. While still in the clinic, Veile made a plan to fulfill his dream of participating in the Olympics. “I immediately thought about the Olympic Games and how little time I have until then. But after the operation I immediately took up the fight and went all in,” said Veile. It was clear to him from the start that he would never write off the Olympics: “The Olympics are my big dream. That’s the biggest thing in competitive sports.”
What followed was a spring and summer full of hardships and torment. Instead of a three-week vacation in Sri Lanka, time with friends and family and snow training in New Zealand, it meant rehab, discussions with a sports psychologist and endless hours on the equipment in the gym.
“I immediately canceled my vacation to start rehab. It was clear to me from the start that I would have very little time to get fit again for the serious injury,” says Veile. The first three weeks are mainly characterized by doing nothing. Patience, which Veile does not have, is required because he is not allowed to put any strain on his knee. Nevertheless, he started working again in the week after the operation and did light core and upper body training. After a good month, Veile increased his training, completing two sessions a day in the rehab and at the Munich Olympic base. He is in the gym six days a week – always with the focus on getting fit for the Olympic Games.
Working with a sports psychologist
In order not to forget the complex jumping maneuvers, he tortures himself with trampoline training. Since the strain on the operated knee is too great, he always ends up on his back after the twists and somersaults. “When I was sitting on a weight machine in the gym, my friends were lying at a swimming lake,” says Veile. There were also major setbacks during rehab: “I couldn’t train for three weeks because my knee was overloaded. That was hard. I felt like a child who didn’t get the birthday present he was promised. Maybe I just wanted too much too quickly. But it was a catastrophe. Your head doesn’t sleep at all, you can’t rest.”
Working with a sports psychologist helps him out of his mental slump. The two of them develop a master plan, at the end of which is Day X – the return to skis. Small intermediate steps and the visualization of large and small goals help with implementation. “I recommend this to every athlete. I was in contact with him every week. If I was feeling bad, I was able to contact him at short notice,” says Veile.
His will and willingness to torture himself are rewarded. He is fit again on the predicted day
In mid-December, Veile takes part in a World Cup again for the first time in Beijing and ends up in 33rd place, in Steamboat (USA) it only comes in 46th place. Both results are not enough for Olympic qualification, but Veile still has opportunities in Calagry, Aspen and Laax in January to fulfill his dream. Returning to the slopes is already the reward for a time full of hardships.
“Competitive sport is generally a sacrifice when it comes to friends, social contacts and family. It’s just part of it if you want to do this job. I have the privilege of turning my hobbies into a career,” says Veile. Nevertheless, this privilege has always been associated with some doubts for years: “I’m a social person, I like having friends and family around me. I see them every three to four months in the winter. That’s why it’s a big thing that you put aside in order to live your dream. It’s a sacrifice that you have to accept. That makes it all the more important that we are such a great team – that’s my substitute family during the season.”
Even in his youth, Veile gave up. At 14 he stopped gymnastics and ski racing and switched to freeskiing. He has the perfect prerequisites for this hip sport. But talent alone is not enough to fulfill your dream of becoming a professional. “I went skiing in the Allgäu every weekend while my friends went lifting in the evenings. I had a different youth than many others. But it’s okay too. I don’t want to miss it.”
At the sports boarding school in Berchtesgaden, at the age of 16, he met like-minded people who understood if he didn’t go to the club to party on Friday evening.
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