What a torn cruciate ligament does to an athlete's career

Dominik Paris, Manfred Mölgg and Simon Maurberger - the ski aces are united not only by the sport, but also by the same fate: this winter they each tore a cruciate ligament. However, the risk of such a knee injury is not only omnipresent in the ski circus, other industries are also severely affected - such as ski jumping. Aaron Kostner, South Tyrol's greatest talent in Nordic combined, can tell you a thing or two about it. Ascent stopped abruptly The man from St. Ulrich forced his way into the spotlight at the World Championships in Seefeld last year like a phoenix rising from the ashes. With 13th place in the individual competition, the then 19-year-old showed how much potential he had. This winter he seamlessly continued his performance from the previous year before bad luck with injuries hit hard. During ski jumping training in Ramsau (Austria), he fell while landing, then felt pain in his knee and was immediately taken to the hospital in Schladming. The all-clear was initially given before Kostner received the devastating diagnosis days later. The man from Val Gardena remembers what happened in the accident.

Here in Kuusamo all was well with Aaron Kostner. © Federico Modica

“The landing area was very compact, almost icy. It was the last training jump of the day and I wanted to leave the jump with a good feeling,” says Kostner. “In fact, I managed a good jump, which I wanted to finish with a nice landing. Unfortunately I hit my head between the skis and then it happened.” The 20-year-old also attributes the injury to the new binding system, which benefits the athlete in the air, but makes landing much more difficult. “I've thought about it a lot and want to test a new, safer system next season.” In addition to the damage to the posterior cruciate ligament, the knee injury also included a tear in the medial ligament and meniscus as well as a strain in the anterior cruciate ligament. The damage was repaired in a complicated four-hour operation. Rehabilitation in Germany The psychological stress was much worse than the physical pain. “When I received the diagnosis, my world collapsed,” regrets Kostner. “I was in good shape and would have been good for strong placings this season, my first full World Cup.” As difficult as it was for him, he tried not to despair, but to look to the future with optimism, says the graduate of the sports high school in Ortisei.

Rightly so, because Kostner, who completed a month-long rehabilitation at the renowned Hans Friedl Therapy Center in Edling (Bavaria), is more than satisfied with his healing process: “The team of doctors who are accompanying me say that the knee has healed well and I have "I'm ahead of schedule." Nevertheless, Kostner doesn't want to rush. The return to the ski jump is not planned until September. What will happen after his comeback and whether he will quickly get back to where he was before his injury is completely open. Until he finally takes the path back, Kostner is keeping fit in his garden at home and hopes that the corona pandemic will pass quickly.

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What a torn cruciate ligament does to an athlete's career

An ACL injury is every athlete's nightmare. Especially in times when these are increasing exponentially, SportNews wanted to know how a cruciate ligament tear happens, what it does to the psyche and how you recover from it. Aaron Kostner was there to answer our questions.

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