Do you remember Matthias Lanzinger? After the leg amputation, he still dedicates himself to speed

The former Austrian downhill skier, who suffered a very serious accident in Kvitfjell on March 2, 2008, plunged into the world of motorcycles after Paralympic skiing. "The similarities are many".

Friday 7 August 2020 5 minutes reading time

His is a painful and in some ways unique story, but with his fortitude he managed to transform it into something new, different and just as beautiful as when he was racing on tracks all over the world. Many will remember Matthias Lanzinger, the Wunderteam sprinter who suffered the amputation (below the knee) of his left leg on March 2, 2008, following a fall in the final of the super-g of Kvitfjell. There was controversy over the delay in rescues to the '80s Salzburg class, as well as a millionaire lawsuit for a career that ended at that moment and a clearly disrupted life. Lanzinger, who at the age of 27 had obtained a podium in the World Cup in the super-g of Beaver Creek, in addition to success in the general classification of the European Cup and a junior world title in combined, has been able to reinvent himself in two other sports fields; first as a Paralympic ski champion, with two silvers at the 2014 Sochi Games and one gold and seven medals at world level, while for three years now the Austrian has been dedicated to motorcycles, competing in the International Bridgestone Handy Race, the championship reserved for disabled athletes. Ambassador for KMT, the former skier talked about himself a few days ago during the Misano stage, interviewed by Alessandro Palma of "Palmen in Motorradsport": "I started getting serious after my debut at Mugello, even though I started skiing at the age of three and that had quickly become my life. Since I was a child I have had a great passion for motorcycles and at some point I started practicing it as a hobby and doing some races, even when I was still a professional skier. After the accident I had more time and then when I retired from Paralympic skiing (in 2015, ed), I decided to turn my passion for motorcycling into a new career opportunity ". A unique spirit, “because it is important to never give up and understand that life goes on anyway. And above all, you have to do what you love, regardless of whether you are disabled or not. If you have a goal and you want to reach it, you can do it even in these conditions ". Lanzinger talked about the similarities between motorcycles and skis, with speed in the blood and ... not only: “As a skier I was mainly downhill and super-g and I must say that between these disciplines and motorcycling there are many similarities. The way you enter the curve, the sensations you feel, the way you "play" with gravity. For me, going on the track with the bike during the summer was a great training, because it helped me even more to go fast and get into the corners in the right way. It was a perfect combination ”. Before it all ended on that Norwegian morning and Matthias decided, after difficult years, to be reborn and be a happy man again.

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