Paralympic legend Franz Nietlispach: “Many people don’t take me seriously”

What happened then?
It was about half past six in the morning and the ladder was still damp with morning dew. When I slipped a little while climbing, I tried to escape to the lowest branch. Then suddenly it broke and I fell about two meters. I lay with my back on the floor and felt like my buttocks were in a deep ditch that I couldn’t get out of without help.

You later said that you probably didn’t get your incomplete spinal cord injury when you fell, but afterward.
I still believe that to this day, but it doesn’t really matter. First, my colleague’s brothers wanted to take me to the farm in a Brüggli, which is used for transporting milk cans. But that didn’t help because I was in too much pain. So they took out the backseat of a car and transported me like that. Then they carried me into the house. The incomplete spinal cord injury must have occurred at some point during this rescue.

When did you finally go to the hospital?
Then an ambulance took me to Muri, where we waited for hours for the young Guido A. Zäch.

Why?
Unfortunately, Zäch and his secretary drove to Muri near Bern and not to Muri in Aargau. There were no mobile phones then. That’s why it took hours before Zäch finally arrived.

Did you already suspect that your life would be different from now on?
No, when I was flown by helicopter to the spinal cord injury center in Basel, all I thought was: It’s going to be close for the Grümpi, which took place at our place the next day and was always the highlight of the year. Patients were not immediately informed of their fate at the time. Zäch just said, “We’ll figure it out.”

They then spent 13 weeks on their backs in the hospital.
Over time I became more and more aware that nothing would be the same again. Since I still have some feeling in my legs and feet to this day, I first thought to myself: it will happen again.

What specifically have you felt since the accident?
Explaining that is difficult. If you stepped on me now, I would notice, but it wouldn’t hurt me.

Is it true that you were looking forward to the wheelchair after those 13 weeks of lying on your back?
Yes, even if it is difficult for outsiders to understand. But when you were in bed for so long, the wheelchair was the only way to get out of bed. So I accepted it immediately.

That all sounds very positive. Have you never had a crisis in the hospital?
Of course there were. During this time I also lost weight from 70 to 40 kilos. But in the teenage years everyone had their problems, including me. I soon tried to always see the positive. For example, thanks to a special permit, I was allowed to drive a car at the age of 17.

Without your accident, you would never have met your future wife.
At the time, she worked as a nurse at the spinal cord injury center in Basel. That’s how we got to know each other. I asked her to go out for six months. But she kept saying no. But at one point she said: if Barcelona won the European Cup final against Düsseldorf in Basel, she would come to the city with me for the first time, because then something would be going on. That’s how it all started in 1979.

How difficult was it for you to suddenly have to accept help as a wheelchair user?
I had trouble with that in the beginning. Many people still want to help me today, and that is meant kindly. But honestly: for me it is easier to put the wheelchair in the car alone than with help. That just makes it more complicated. By the way, something still bothers me to this day.

What?
A lot of people don’t take me seriously. They think my wife has to get me dressed in the morning. In addition, as a wheelchair user you must always look up during conversations. And the other person looks down on you. From above. That can take away from your self-esteem.

To what extent has sport helped you gain self-confidence?
Very, after the accident I took refuge in sports. First as a table tennis player and then in athletics. I also worked on the wheelchairs from the beginning, because the first ones were still real furniture at the time.

The rest of the story is known. They won gold fourteen times at the Paralympic Games and became world champions twenty times. Above all, your rivalry with Heinz Frei was legendary.
To be honest, I don’t want anything to do with Heinz anymore. We’re just completely different guys. He was always stubborn and I was relaxed. If I won, I would have a beer afterwards. This gave me more exposure in the media. He certainly suffered from that.

What role did you have in the disputes?
We just couldn’t get along, and Guido A. Zäch also tried to talk to us once. Without success. But yes, when I wrote my biography in 1999, I thought: we are two grown men, both over forty, and we behave like little children. This is not possible.

Your fall was not your only fate. You lost your father when you were only seven.
I actually have no memories of my father anymore. That’s why I didn’t really notice his early death and didn’t go into crisis. But it must have been very difficult for my mother. From one day to the next she was a widow with twelve children. How she managed that was impressive.

When your first child, Roman, was born in 1990, you were also very concerned.
There were complications during the delivery. He made no sound at birth and it was unknown how long he was without oxygen. So he spent the first two weeks in intensive care and we didn’t know if he would survive. But luckily everything turned out well.

Did you have any problems when Roman or later daughter Celina took their first steps?
Zero, I was happy. The only times I was annoyed was when I was sitting on the couch and had to look for the wheelchair because they had used it as a toy. But I also saw the positive in this. I never needed a buggy, because I always carried the children on my lap. I do the same thing today with my two grandchildren.

They retired this spring. Now take it easy
(Laughs.) Well, I’ve discovered a new passion: curling.

For fun?
Not entirely, I’m playing with it to start with the 2026 Paralympic Games.

What does your wife say about this?
Let’s put it this way: she’s not happy. But nothing has been decided yet. The selection for the World Cup B in November in Finland will be announced at the end of September. If I were called up there as skip and we were promoted, participating in Milan 2026 would not be entirely unrealistic.

Finally, if you look back on July 13, 1973, is that an unlucky day for you?
No, more like a fateful day. When I was once giving a talk at a school, a student asked me, “If a fairy could grant you a wish, would you no longer want to be disabled?” I couldn’t answer yes to the question.

Why not?
If I had not had the accident, I would have missed all the successes, experiences and wonderful acquaintances. If the fairy came to me today and asked me this question, I would say, “Give me a Ferrari.”