Monday, December 13, 2021
Ski jumper Tande is back
In March in a coma, in December in seventh heaven
Less than nine months ago, Daniel Andre Tande wrestled with death. After a horror fall, he is in a coma for days. It doesn’t look good for the former ski flying world champion. In the end, his love of sport drove him back to the hill and in Klingenthal for the first time on the podium again.
Daniel Andre Tande proudly held the carved wooden ski jumper with the silver “2” in the camera. The Norwegian promised, visibly moved, that the handmade trophy from Klingenthal would receive a place of honor. “From the moment I woke up from the coma, I always believed in it,” Tande told the newspaper “VG” after his emotional return to the ski jumping elite.
Tande’s horror fall in Planica was less than nine months ago. At that time he had to be ventilated mechanically via intubation and was in a coma for days. He broke his collarbone and the doctors found that he had four cerebral hemorrhages. In short: It didn’t look good for the former ski flying world champion. He wasn’t fighting for top positions, but for survival. Of course, the continuation of his career was questionable, but the 27-year-old fought his way back step by step. And how.
“Moments like this are the reason I’m still there. It’s really difficult to describe that I managed to jump back to the top so quickly,” said Tande. In Klingenthal, he only had to admit defeat to the former Four Hills Tournament winner Ryoyu Kobayashi from Japan, and it was almost enough to win his first victory since November 2019.
Alexander Stöckl could hardly believe the comeback either. “Half a year ago he wasn’t talking about ski jumping,” said the Austrian at “VG”: “It was only about Daniel getting well again. But when he started jumping, we saw his love for this sport . This second place is very well deserved. “
Tande is still not painless. Now and then he can still feel the titanium plate inserted over his collarbone. But moments like on Sunday suppress all pain. “The last jump was wonderful, it went really far. That is one of the greatest memories I take from a hill,” said Tande – and grabbed the wooden ski jumper under his arm.