Biathlon talent Julia Kink wants to attack big. But then a series of diseases slow them down.
The past winter was supposed to be the big breakthrough for biathlon hope Julia Kink, but illnesses, doubts and setbacks slowed her down. Now the 21-year-old has spoken about the bad time.
Last summer, a tick bit Kink in training camp. “You weren’t quite sure if it was Lyme disease or not, ticks are always a bit insidious,” she said in the biathlon podcast “Extrarunde.”
Biathlon hope Julia Kink has a long period of suffering behind her
Biathlon talent: “I just couldn’t recover anymore”
“I didn’t feel like myself anymore. I just couldn’t recover anymore,” said Kink. It was only after six weeks that there was a Lyme disease diagnosis with subsequent antibiotic treatment.
The long-term consequences became apparent in winter. “It was said that the Borrelia go to the mitochondria and as a result I just broke down a bit,” said Kink. Mitochondria are often referred to as “power plants of the cells”. If they are weakened, this has an impact on performance.
When Kink had recovered from this, there was another setback. She fell during ski training in January and suffered a concussion. Nevertheless, she continued to train, which turned out to be a mistake.
“I just started again too quickly, wanted too much. I then immediately went up to prepare for the European Championships and then just struggled with pretty bad headaches,” said Kink.
Doctor prescribes Kink bed rest
After the IBU Cup in Ridnaun, Italy, even tablets no longer worked against Kink’s severe headaches. So she was prescribed two weeks of bed rest by the doctor, which meant the end of the season.
Despite all the setbacks, Kink is now looking optimistically into the future – both the concussion and the Lyme disease have healed. “I actually have the feeling that everything is okay again now. So I hope that’s all behind me now,” said Kink.