Bumbling on crutches, he looks up towards Lysgårdsbakken in Lillehammer. He has recently gone under the knife again to try to get his left knee in order. – I haven’t completely counted how many operations I’ve had, but there have been a few, Markeng says to news while he smiles a little crookedly. The jumper from Lensbygda on Toten has not skied since 12 December 2021. Then he failed to qualify for the race in Zakopane. – I would have liked to have jumped over 100 jumps both this summer and last winter. But I have had a leg which has had problems with swelling, and I have not been able to train normally. I don’t remember the last time I had heavy strength training, says Markeng. Disappointed with “Splice” response Finding funds to finance all the operations and rehabilitation is not easy. Therefore, Markeng created a “Splice” a year ago in the hope of getting help from the Norwegian people. When the action was concluded, he had received NOK 6,500. The goal was NOK 200,000. – I started him to get some support for rehabilitation and the like. It went “so there”, but he was started when there was still corona, says Markeng. THE RESULT: This is how the fundraising campaign continued. Photo: Skjermdump / Spleis A “Spleis” is a public fundraising campaign where anyone can encourage krone rolling. Markeng enticed with advertising space on clothes and cars for both private individuals and companies who contributed money, but he only reached three percent of the target. That time the jumper managed to scrape together enough from his own pocket to have another operation, but will not say how much it went beyond his wallet. – It’s not easy to get sponsors when you’ve been injured since 2019. I haven’t had a chance to show myself for a long time, says the 22-year-old, who consciously tries to focus as little as possible on the financial concerns. Usually, operations and rehabilitation are covered by the insurance you have via the national team. But since Markeng has struggled with the same injury for over two years, the insurance does not cover new operations, rehabilitation or training, explains the 22-year-old. In addition, he lost his scholarship at the Olympiatoppen in May last year. The scholarship he had before was enough to pay for rehabilitation and training. The horror fall He already had the first operation on his knee in 2015. But it was after the horror fall in 2019 that it really took off for the 22-year-old. After landing at 131 meters in Klingenthal, the ski slipped out, and the knee got a nasty twist. On top of that, he has a damaged cruciate ligament and meniscus, which he has struggled with on the side. – I’ve probably operated four or five times just after I injured myself in 2019, so I’ve operated a few times, yes. I’ve seen answers to it from time to time and wondered how I’m going to make this work. I have to admit that, says Markeng. STRETCH OUT: Thomas Aasen Markeng had to use a stretcher to get off the ground after the horror fall in 2019. Photo: Robert Michael/DPA / NTB Although he has not jumped for a long time, Markeng was among the selected when national team coach Alexander Stöckl presented made for the 2022/23 season. Stöckl is impressed by the steadfastness of the unfortunate jumper. – He is very dedicated. He wants to come back and he loves show jumping. He wants to jump again, and he knows he has good potential. He has shown that before he was really injured, says Stöckl. – How good can he be? – We just have to go back to the results he had before the injury, they were good. He is just as eager. So if the body works, there is a good chance that he is a capable national team jumper. NATIONAL TEAM: Thomas Aasen Markeng talks with national team coach Alexander Stöckl during the presentation of the national team for the current season. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB In defiance of the doctors, Markeng was unable to control the swelling that kept appearing in his knee after the operation last year. The doctors began to doubt whether the jumper would ever return to the jumping hill. But Markeng is forced to undergo yet another operation this autumn. – I know for myself that there are still things to try, and there are several possibilities. I didn’t give in to it, so I had another operation now and it turned out that I was right in what I said. So I hope he helped contribute to the fact that my weekday will consist of training and ski jumping. He had the meniscus sewn back up and some scar tissue removed from the knee. – Have you had your last operation? – I hope so. Bet on it anyway, fingers crossed.
ttn-69
The jumper started a fundraiser after an injury nightmare – only got a pittance – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
