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Severin Freund, one of the most renowned German ski jumpers, had a secret: At the age of 16, he was diagnosed with an illness that still plagues him today.
Munich – Former ski jumping star Severin Freund has made his illness public. As the 36-year-old recently said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, the 2014 Olympic champion has suffered from focal epilepsy – and has been since he was 16 years old.
Former ski jumping star Severin Freund reports on his illness
“I had my first seizure in the summer of 2004, at night, when I was 16 years old. My parents and my brother found out and then there was a huge uproar. “That day and afterwards I was in a kind of state of shock and felt lost,” said Freund in an interview with World on Sunday.
During his active career, Freund kept his illness secret. “On the one hand, because it is something very personal and it was always important to me that it was about sport. And also because if the performance was poorer, the assumption would always have been that it was due to the illness,” he explained. He didn’t want to be constantly asked about his illness and decided not to talk about it until after his career had ended.
Severin Freund is one of the most successful German ski jumpers. © Antti Yrjönen/imago
Former ski jumping star friend wants to raise awareness of epilepsy
Freund has now decided to go public with his story to raise awareness of epilepsy. “It receives little attention from the public, but it affects many people,” he said. In Germany, around 800,000 people are affected by the disease. Freund appears as a case study at the Kork epilepsy seminar and is accompanied by his long-time doctor, Professor Dr. Bernhard Steinhoff, supervised.
His seizures occur primarily during sleep. “I start to convulse in my sleep and sometimes even bite my cheek,” described Freund. His wife makes sure he doesn’t hurt himself. A small spot in the brain, visible on an MRI, is thought to trigger the seizures.
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Despite the illness, Freund was able to successfully continue his career. He is grateful for the support of his family and medical professionals. Today he works as a TV expert and lives a fulfilled life. “I am a very happy and grateful person,” he said. Freund hopes that his openness will encourage other sufferers and raise awareness of epilepsy in society.
A cross-country skiing star recently took to social media to publicize a “violent collision” that left her injured. (msb)
