I had tears in my eyes when I saw Aleksander Aamodt Kilde standing at the start of the Super-G in Copper Mountain—one of the greatest ski racers of our time.

All the dark moments of the past 22 months came to mind: the unbearable pain after the operation. The time in a wheelchair when he could no longer feel his legs after surgery. The panic attacks and fears about the future. Then, after the first small signs of progress, another setback. A bacterium in his shoulder had caused blood poisoning. Four more surgeries were needed to clean the shoulder and readjust the anchors the bacteria had attacked.
But even stronger than the physical pain was the mental struggle. A comeback seemed impossible. At one point, the doctors said: “This is no longer about skiing—it’s about survival.” That was the lowest point. For weeks, he was only allowed to move for 15 minutes a day so that the antibiotics could finally take effect.

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was sad and traumatized. He had deep fears and serious worries—whether he would ever be able to race again, what the future would look like, and why all of this had to happen to him.

In one of our conversations, I said to him:

“Accepting what is can be one of the hardest things in life. Right now, you are no longer an athlete—but life still has so much more in store for you if you acknowledge what is and allow yourself to embrace what comes next.”

He didn’t like what he heard, and it took a few days—but then he began to see opportunities even within this tragedy. He started an online course, learned a great deal about mental strength, and from that moment on saw each day as a gift. He set micro-goals for himself—for example, being able to lift his left arm just one centimeter higher—and he was incredibly proud each time he achieved them.

His mood began to improve, and he increasingly realized that he could control—and even guide—his emotions. We often talked about how his negative emotions were like birds in a market hall: they fly in, but they also fly out again…

At one point, he said to me:

“Just making it back to the biggest stage in ski racing—that’s my dream.”

Last Thursday, that dream became reality. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde finished 23rd—but that’s not the point. Life is about so much more than winning. It’s about not giving up, even in difficult times like these. About accepting the negative and continuing to fight every single day. That is the human spirit, which burns within each of us like a quiet flame that withstands even the strongest storm. Formed from courage, compassion, and unwavering hope, it builds bridges across the deepest abysses and enables us to rise beyond ourselves.

I have been fortunate to work with many athletes throughout my life, but Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is more than just an athlete to me—he is a hero. A role model for determination, perseverance, and optimism.

This post was published by Wolfgang Jenewein on LinkedIn on December 1, 2025. Zum Original-Beitrag