A Swiss Nordic combined skier is facing another surgery. First, his cat played a fatal role – then a fish.
First his own cat, then a small fish: Swiss World Cup Nordic combined skier Pascal Müller has animal-related injury misfortune. “Unfortunately, it’s no joke,” reported the athlete, who will turn 24 on Thursday, in the tabloid newspaper Blick about his recent accident.
When he wanted to release a fish back into the water while fishing with his girlfriend, he twisted his knee. He immediately felt “that something wasn’t right,” said Müller.
Another Surgery for Winter Star
Indeed: He could no longer straighten his leg, which had already been operated on in the winter, and a meniscus suture in his knee could not withstand the strain.
Müller underwent surgery again on Tuesday. “I could have cried,” he said.
Apparently, the knee was already weak: After a blow during ski jumping, it was no longer completely stable – the movement while fishing then made everything worse.
Cat Caused First Knee Injury
Because his medial meniscus was already torn last fall. Müller had tried to take his cat to the vet.
“When I wanted to put the cat in the carrier, it clung to my leg. I was startled and turned away. Then I heard a loud crack in my right knee,” he reported at the time and confessed to the Blick reporter: “The accident is so stupid that I shouldn’t even tell you that.”
Despite the recent setback, Müller is planning for the 2026 Olympics. “That’s my big goal,” said the Nordic combined skier, who has also been training with the German team since summer 2023.