World downhill champion Balanche (33) is experiencing the consequences of her serious accident: “Everything seems to have been wiped away, I don’t remember anything anymore.”

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Camille Balanche (33) is in pain. Even now, as she raises her cappuccino. «My thumb and my upper body hurt. And my right foot has been asleep since the accident,” she says. The 2020 downhill world champion has had a difficult time since her terrible crash during qualifying for the World Cup race in Andorra on August 25.

She actually didn’t want to give major interviews, says Balanche, and yet she does so in Magglingen BE above Lake Biel – patient, detailed and open as ever. Maybe it helps that she can’t even remember the worst day of her career. “That’s right,” says the Neuchâtel resident, smiling. ‘I don’t remember anything. Even the week after the fall was erased.” Yet she can tell a lot about the crash. Although there is no video footage, a photographer stood right next to her and gave her a detailed account.

“Was pumped full of medicine”

“During what was actually an innocent jump, I was hit by a gust of wind,” says Balanche. She was driving at a speed of about 40 km/h, everything was as usual. “And suddenly I was in the air and I hit the hard ground with full force.” Balanche suffered no fractures or tears, but was transported to a nearby hospital with severe bruising and traumatic brain injuries. A day later the transfer to Bern followed. “I was pumped full of drugs for two weeks before spending a week in a neurohospital.”

Balanche is aware that she had a great guardian angel by her side when she fell. She is also pleased that the extensive neurological examination has so far shown no permanent damage. “But we still have to wait and see what happens when I increase the intensity of the training. I’m not doing much at the moment because I have nothing left. I once went cycling for an hour. I hoped it would go faster, but unfortunately I’m still in a lot of pain. The whole thing is difficult because the doctors don’t yet know exactly what the problem is.”

Even shopping is difficult

Balanche has lost five kilos of muscle mass so far. She should not overload her body, or her head. “Too much visual stimuli gives me a headache. One time I went grocery shopping, stood at the checkout and got really tired.”

She is particularly grateful to have her life partner and ex-downhiller Emilie Siegenthaler (37) by her side. «Emilie is always there for me and was a great help after the accident. Without her I would probably have stayed in hospital in Andorra longer, which I definitely didn’t want.”

Wind meters? No

The question remains when Balanche will return to the downhills. “I’m certainly not going to risk anything,” says the woman who participated with the ice hockey team in the 2010 Winter Olympics. She is not thinking about dismissal. Like every year, a World Cup is also on the program in 2024. Where? That was her downfall in Andorra and on the route.

“I just hope the problem is addressed. Other riders also crashed in the same place – it is known that gusts of wind can occur there. In ski racing you have measuring equipment and officials in such places. Unfortunately, we are not nearly as professional in the descent, although serious accidents can also happen here.”

“I give myself the time I need”

You notice it: Balanche’s enthusiasm for Andorra is limited. Her eyes light up even more when she is asked about the 2025 home World Cup – which will take place in Valais. “It will be a big party. I would be very happy if I were at the start.”

But first Balanche runs a completely different race: that of her health. She has to think in dimensions other than seconds and hundredths. ‘I am aware of that. Even though it’s hard for me, I give myself the time I need. I can’t force anything.”

Source : Blick