Iron will: athletes who returned to big sport after injury

Russia has always been famous for strong and talented athletes who, in addition, had extraordinary fortitude. All the stories of outstanding Russian athletes who overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles cannot be listed. Therefore, today we will tell only about four athletes: despite severe injuries, they were able to return to the big sport and successfully continue their careers. Each of them has a different path, but all of them have one thing in common – iron willpower.

Hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisov

From the very beginning of his sporting path, this Soviet hockey player showed unprecedented willpower – worked at the limit of his abilities in order to play for the national team in the future. As a result, thanks to the famous five – Vyacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov, Sergei Makarov, Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov – the USSR national team confidently kept in the top three leaders of world hockey and won many international awards. Fetisov himself played in the NHL, won the Stanley Cup.

On the share of Vyacheslav Fetisov fell a lot of difficulties. In 1979, he received a serious back injury – the athlete was paralyzed, he could not walk. Doctors’ prognoses were disappointing. However, the hockey player was able to do the incredible, recovered and returned to the ice. But his trials did not end there.

In 1985, Fetisov got into a car accident. He himself survived the incident, but his younger brother Anatoly died. It was a heavy blow for his entire family. Vyacheslav took the tragedy hard, but despite the loss of a loved one, he still returned to the ice. New difficulties awaited ahead.

In 1997, the hockey player again got into an accident, only now two of his teammates were with him. All three were seriously injured. Nevertheless, after all the trials and injuries – physical and mental – the athlete did not give up hockey, did not turn away from his dream. He returned to the ice and remained faithful to his vocation despite everything.

Figure skater Elena Berezhnaya

Since the beginning of her professional career, Berezhnaya performed in pairs skating. Her first partner was Oleg Shlyakhov. It was with him that the skater began to win the first medals, despite the fact that the relationship between the partners was strained. Sometimes Shlyakhov treated his colleague rudely and disrespectfully.

The tragedy happened during a training session in 1996. The partner hit Berezhnaya’s head with a skate blade: the temporal bone was punctured, and the shards damaged the brain sheath. The figure skater was hospitalized and urgently sent to Riga, where she underwent a serious operation. For the first time Berezhnaya could not move or talk at all. Doctors said that she would definitely not be able to return to the sport.

The athlete refuted the pessimistic forecasts. Anton Sikharulidze, who then became her new partner, helped her to recover and get back on her skates. Together they triumphed at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

Swimmer Alexander Popov

Russian swimmer Alexander Popov can rightly be called a legend. He managed to become a four-time Olympic champion, six-time world champion and multiple European champion. Since childhood Popov was fond of swimming, but his talent was fully revealed after graduating from school.

In 1991, his career began with resounding victories at the European Championships in Athens. Then followed the triumph at the Olympics in Barcelona. In 1994, Alexander set a world record in the 50m freestyle. And the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta made the Russian athlete a world celebrity.

But the brilliant career of the swimmer was destined to be interrupted. In August 1996 in Moscow, Popov and his friend got into a street fight – he stood up for a girl. The hooligans were armed, and one of them stabbed the athlete with a knife. A kidney and a lung were injured. Fortunately, the swimmer’s life was saved. And thanks to the experience and professionalism of the doctor, he was even able to continue his sports career.

Recovery was difficult and long. But thanks to stamina and desire in the same year, Alexander managed to compete again – to take “gold” at the Olympics in Atlanta. After that, the career of the Russian athlete continued for another 8 years.

Gymnast Liaisan Utyasheva

Liaisan Utyasheva is an example of real resilience and will to win. Young gymnasts all over Russia know how hard it was for her to return to professional sports after an injury.

In 2002, during a performance, Utyasheva landed unsuccessfully after a vault – on both feet. At first doctors diagnosed a bruise and allowed her to train. But the injury only worsened. The athlete tried to train through the pain. And when she told her coaches about it, she was accused of faking it. Only a few months later, doctors were able to discover the true extent of the injury – multiple fractures of the navicular bone in one leg and bone separation in the other.

The gymnast underwent six surgeries on her legs. Doctors gave disappointing prognoses – after such an injury she would hardly be able to return to the big sport. They said that with an implant in her foot, she could only walk with a severe limp. But such arguments did not stop Utyasheva.

In order not to lose her form, the gymnast tried to swim in the pool every day – first time with a cast on her legs. She tried stretching and practicing with gymnastic equipment sitting down. Thanks to her hard work and perseverance, Utyasheva was able to return to professional sports two years later.

In 2004, she became the European champion in the team competition. Then she won international tournaments in France and Latvia. The gymnast diligently prepared for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, in 2006 she was again injured during training – her knee was damaged. The second time the athlete was less lucky. The damage was too serious, she failed to recover and had to leave the sport for good.

Nevertheless, Liaisan did not give up – she was able to rebuild and realize herself in show business. The former gymnast became a famous TV presenter, and no injuries could not prevent her.