German biathlete undeterred in World Cup dream after tongue transplant

 

BERLIN – German biathlete Juliane Frühwirt is battling to become a World Cup regular next season after recovering from a tongue transplant.

On March 21, she fell skiing down hill in adverse conditions in Galtür, Austria. Her ski pole pierced her left cheek, tore off part of her tongue, broke her jaw and cheekbone as well as knocking her front teeth out.

She had already been struggling to make it as a professional biathlete but her ordeal has put things in perspective.

“I want to establish myself in the World Cup. But it’s no longer a must,” the 26-year-old told dpa on Sunday. “What other people think or what other people expect of me no longer bother me so much. That’s a good feeling.”

She pulled the stick out of her face and it was only when she realized that she could no longer call for help that she knew it was serious.

She was first flown by helicopter to a clinic in Zams, from where she travelled on to Innsbruck for surgery.

“I had the worst pain of my life during the operation. A piece of tongue was still stuck on the stick. My tongue was so swollen after the operation that my jaw joints were dislocated,” said Frühwirt, who won gold in the sprint at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

After having a tongue transplant, she had to relearn how to swallow and drink.

“I looked like Quasimodo,” she said. Now only a small scar on her cheek is a reminder of the injury.

In May, just 100 days after the accident, she took part in the Stubai Ultratrail K70 and completed an impressive 63 kilometres.

Many people have written to her to say that her story has given them strength and motivation.

“If I’ve helped just one person, it’s already paid off for me,” she said.