– I cry every day. At first I thought this was a dream, but then I realized that it is actually real. Mia Rusthen takes a break and her eyes go blank. This is the road racing driver’s first interview with the press since the much publicized accident in Italy in June. – It makes me sad that this is real, she says. Rusthen has fought through a life-threatening head injury. The voice has become weak. The hair is short. The right side of the face has been paralyzed. The arm and foot on the same side lack some mobility. Everything goes a little slower. SUPPORT PLAYER: Sindre Vedvik and Mia Rusthen have been together for two and a half years. He has been one of her most important supporters. Photo: Fredrik Saltbones / news news meets Rusthen at the Catosenteret – a rehabilitation center in Son. This is her fourth temporary home after she was placed in an artificial coma in June and operated on to avoid increasing pressure in her head. She remembers nothing from being admitted to Italy or Ullevål hospital. It is only on an August day at Sunnaa’s hospital that she begins to remember what she did the day before. At this point, life is bearable and hazy. – At Sunnaas, I remember telling my girlfriend that we could take our lives. It was a little because I thought it was a dream and wanted to wake up from it, she says. DON’T REMEMBER: Rusthen says that she doesn’t remember anything from her time at Ullevål hospital. Photo: Privat The moment when everything went black The Drøbak woman is already historic when she gets on her bike and waits for the green light on 15 June this year. She is part of the first ever World Championship race in road racing for women. It will all happen on the legendary Misano track. In advance, there have been a number of articles in the press. “Norwegian Mia Rusthen is ready for the WC in road racing”, writes Finansavisen together with a picture of a smiling Rusthen with long blonde hair, wearing a blue driver’s suit. FAMOUS IMAGE: It is often this image that has met the readers of the Norwegian media when they have read about the crash at Rusthen. Photo: Morten Opedal The sport can easily be described as Formula 1 on two wheels, although there is some difference in speed. Rusthen is well placed in the middle of the field in the WC race when life is turned upside down in a matter of seconds. The Norwegian 22-year-old is at 200 kilometers per hour, but misses at turn number 16, seven laps before the finish line. She speeds off the track and through the gravel. The dust abounds in the air. At the same time, everything becomes black and silent. – Damn it, it goes fast, that is. Rusthen widens her eyes when she sees the clip of her driving off the track. She looks slightly shocked. – The crash itself was not shown – the TV production did not know if I was alive or dead. It’s strange that I crashed so hard. I still don’t understand how it happened, she says. – Have you not received any indications as to why you crashed? – Those who watched said that I braked so hard that I went onto the front wheel. When I landed, the bike was still moving. But no one knows for sure. REVIEW: Rusthen opens her eyes as she sees the seconds before the crash again. Photo: Fredrik Saltbones / news The horror accident hits like a bomb in Norway and in the world of motorsport. His girlfriend Sindre Vedvik (24) sits at home and follows both the race and the news updates live. The uncertainty makes him sick. All Vedvik wants is for the TV cameras to suddenly film his girlfriend. – I’ve seen a lot of motor racing before, so I’m used to them not filming when they don’t know anything about the condition of the driver. And then they didn’t film Mia… – Terrible to hear her say that Vedvik goes into a state of shock when he arrives at the hospital in Italy. In the hospital bed, the lover lies motionless. Rusthen has a probe in his nose and is intubated. She has many wires attached to her body. – Honestly, everything is a bit hazy. The Italians are a little bad at English, so there are some language barriers. We got few answers, which is natural when it comes to brain and nerve damage. The doctors said it would take time, but that they didn’t know if it would go well until it was good, says Vedvik. STRONG MEETING: Big sister Sunniva was moved to tears when she saw her little sister in the hospital bed. Photo: Privat WITH THE BOYFRIEND: Sindre Vedvik has been at her boyfriend’s bedside almost every day since the accident. Photo: Privat ON TOUR: Sindre Vedvik and Mia Rusthen on a trip by the sea. Will she be herself when she wakes up? Will she make a full recovery? The questions are many. – It was painful to just go and wait. And wait and wait. You don’t get an answer until it actually happens, sort of. No one dares to say anything, he says. After several dramatic weeks, luckily the doctors could finally say that “it will be fine”. When news visits Rusthen and Vedvik in Son, the heavy fog is about to lift. The sun’s rays fight their way through the trees, which stand close behind the Cato Centre. Rusthen and Vedvik look at each other. – The physical will be approximately as it was. You’ll never be 100 percent after an injury, but if you’re 99 percent … I’m guessing you’ll be quite normal in the head and. You’re quite ordinary now, says Vedvik while Rusthen bursts into laughter. THANKS BOYFRIEND: Mia Rusthen pays tribute to her boyfriend Sindre Vedvik after the difficult time. Photo: Fredrik Saltbones / news And although the tears press on every single day and the rehabilitation is sometimes exhausting, Vedvik no longer gets to hear from Rusthen that she wants to take her life to wake up from the nightmare. – It was pretty damn good to hear her say that. At the same time, you are very much in a bubble. I knew Mia was in a foggy state when she said that. She wasn’t as obvious as she is now, he says. For the fact that she is today a different version of herself, Rusthen thanks both medical personnel, her family and – not least – her boyfriend. – Having Sindre by my side is fantastic. He is always happy. And smiles, she says and looks at her boyfriend. – You are so beautiful, and I love you so much, she says. Rusthen says that it is because of Vedvik, her sister Sunniva, her mother and father that she trusts that what has happened is true. – It feels real because of them, she says and looks at her boyfriend again. – Just the fact that I can say that he is there for me, that I have a boyfriend, is absolutely fantastic. THE WAY FORWARD: Although the road will be long and tortuous, Mia Rusthen and Sindre Vedvik are looking forward to the future. Photo: Fredrik Saltbones / news The surprising dream Rusthen also tells of overwhelming support from known and unknown people. Although she has not spoken to the press, she has been updating her followers on social media. The interest there has been extreme. Since the accident, her Instagram and Facebook posts have received around 100,000 reactions. At the same time, close to 500 people have contributed to collecting money for the rehabilitation. The 22-year-old says that she wants to share her story today for a reason. – I want to inspire people. If I can inspire you to be better at your job, then let me be the inspiration you need. If I only inspire one person, then I am satisfied, says Rusthen. Last weekend, she was named Role Model of the Year during the Motorsports Gala. She has set herself the goal of staying in motorsport. And most of all, she wants to put on the driver’s helmet again. – Yes, the dream is certainly to compete. I also think that we can do it if the hand and the foot get well. To be able to drive the WC again would have been fantastic. But we don’t know quite yet, it’s a bit of a question, she says and adds: – If I don’t come back to the WC as a driver, I have the ballast to work in motorsport as a mental trainer, coach or the like. HISTORICAL: Mia Rusthen was part of the first starting field in the Women’s World Road Racing Championship. The picture was taken on an earlier occasion. Photo: Damon Teerink – How do people react when they hear that you want to drive the WC again? – Those who do road racing imagine that I will come back. People outside the sport are a bit like: “You mean it? My God!” But yeah, it’s kind of fun. After everything that has happened… Rusthen takes a short break. – I have to live this life.
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Mia Rusthen opens up about the accident during the WC round in road racing in Misano 2024 – Sport Langlesing
