Norwegian freestyler William Bostadlekken, who started the season with a victory in the European Cup, suffered very serious injuries during training at the World Cup stage in Steamboat (Colorado, USA) and risks being permanently confined to a wheelchair, informs vg.no. Earlier, the Olympic champion fell to the ground at a speed of 100 km/h after jumping from a springboard.
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It is reported that during the first training run before the competition, 20-year-old Bostadlekken lost his bearings in the air during a jump, hit his head and back hard on the ground and lay motionless. Rescuers immediately transported William by helicopter to a hospital in Denver, where he underwent surgery the next day and was later flown to Norway.
Only two weeks later, the freestyler, who was paralyzed below the waist, broke his silence on social media and spoke about the consequences of the accident.
“On the first day of training, while performing the 10-meter butter jump, I caught the tips of my skis on the edge of the springboard,” the athlete wrote on Instagram. “I lost control and landed on my head and back. As a result, I broke my spine (complete spinal cord injury), shoulder, and a pair of ribs. The operation was successful, but I was paralyzed from the injury site (T5 and T6 vertebrae) and below.”
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Despite the terrifying diagnosis, Bostadlekken, who has competed in seven World Cup events, is already looking to the future.
“I dream of skiing again one day,” William added. “Skiing is what I love most in the world, it's what I live for. I'll do everything in my power to go back and experience that incredible feeling again.”
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“This will be the hardest challenge I've ever faced. There's no guarantee it's possible, but I'll never give up. I'll always fight.”
By the way, his girlfriend is constantly with the guy in the hospital, to whom William is infinitely grateful: “I want to say a big thank you to my beautiful girlfriend Valentina, who is the kindest soul on this planet. You have helped me so much through all of this, you can't even imagine. Thank you for everything you have done.”
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“We are pleased that William has returned safely to Norway. As he explains himself, the back injury is very serious, because the fracture also damaged the spinal cord. We will now focus on providing the best medical care and rehabilitation to create the best conditions for him to regain as much function as possible. He is in good hands and we are moving step by step,” said Norway team doctor Andreas Persson in a press release.
Previously, “FACTS” reported that the world freestyle champion was killed by an avalanche in Japan.
Photo by Fri Flyt, from social media