– I was a little blissfully unaware of how serious it actually was, says ski jumper Sondre Ringen to news. He ended up in a serious accident during the Continental Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland, in Space Christmas 2023. And it has caused major problems for him. – Do you fear that you will never be able to live completely normally again? – There are certainly thoughts that have crossed my mind. Because after Ringen released the boom that afternoon, everything went black. In this jump, things go wrong. The ring has never seen the fall, and remembers nothing of what happened. The next day he woke up in a hospital in Switzerland. – The whole body hurt. There were three brain haemorrhages in three different places in the brain, so it indicates that there has been quite a blow. He thought it would go well. But the head injury would put him out of action for a long time. – It has been sad and boring. But that’s how it is with brain hemorrhage and concussion. You can’t do anything. For over half a year, Ringen couldn’t walk without feeling a throbbing pain in his head. – I was almost bedridden until June. It’s like waking up really drunk, and you just have a pounding headache. – Nothing you can do 27-year-old Ringen has competed at the highest level in ski jumping for several years. He has several World Cup races under his belt. But right now it’s mostly about trying to get back to everyday life. – You are not useful for anything. It’s a pretty bad feeling. I like to feel useful. But I haven’t felt that in the last nine months. – That is what is so wrong with these head injuries. There is nothing you can do, he says. Only in June was he able to get out on small trips. – When I get really tired, it comes back again. It is a new reality that I have to deal with. SUPPORT: Sondre Ringen and his wife on a trip. Photo: Private The scars on the face are gone, and the body is starting to function. But it may take years before he gets rid of the pain in his neck and the headache. – I have always focused on the fact that there is nothing I can do here. So dwelling on something that I can’t do anything about is unconstructive, he says and continues: – All the health personnel I have spoken to say that it will be fine. It doesn’t feel like it, but you just have to trust it. Just convince yourself that it is the case. A dream of returning the Ring has a desire to start working again soon. It can happen in October at the earliest. But he is unsure whether he will return to a competitive level in show jumping. – After nine months on the sofa, you notice on the body that it is not the same as it was in December. So there is quite a bit of training required. TEAMMATES: Robert Johansson, Halvor Egner Granerud, Sondre Ringen and Daniel-André Tande during RawAir 2023. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB Nevertheless, he is determined that the fall in Engelberg will not be his last ski jump. – No, so I’ve been very clear that I won’t make that decision until I’m back on the ground again. So I’m going to jump again anyway, and then we’ll take my career from there. Published 24.09.2024, at 22.13
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Sondre Ringen’s horror fall became a long-term nightmare – was bedridden for over half a year – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
