Celine van Till got the Paralympics off to a flying start with a silver medal in the time trial. As so often, the Geneva native proved her mental strength.
04.09.2024, 17:41
04.09.2024, 17:57
SDA
Celine van Till's fans were shocked to the core. She lost her balance on her tricycle and was in danger of getting into serious trouble. "I almost fell and crashed into the barrier," she confessed later, "but then I managed to regain my balance." Her hearty laugh proved that the mishap had not had any more drastic consequences.
Biggest success of her career
This incident exemplifies one of Celine van Till's main strengths: she doesn't despair in the face of adversity, she grows with it. What she has often proven in life has now been transferred to the microcosm of a race. Two factors were probably responsible for her not crashing: "On the one hand, I'm in control of the bike and on the other, I'm mentally strong."
The 33-year-old finally got the silver medal and was beside herself with joy: "I don't even realize it yet, there's nothing better than the Paralympic Games." She was particularly pleased to be able to share the greatest success of her career with a large number of people, and from the staff to her family and sponsors to the Swiss Armed Forces, she thanked everyone who had helped her along the way. "It's wonderful to be able to share this with everyone."
Also a politician, author and speaker
Celine van Till is very versatile. She is a politician on Geneva's Grand Council, an author and speaker and, above all, a top athlete. Her days don't have 30 hours, she assures us, but she has high expectations of herself: "I'm very well organized and disciplined. I draw up a program and then stick to it so that I can do everything. But quality is paramount, and if I can't deliver it, then I won't do it."
She has won the overall World Cup three times and has traveled to the Seine with a clear goal, which she formulated with little restraint: "I want to win a gold medal." Saturday could be her big day in the road race and she is already looking ahead, at least in part: "I want to recover well and work out a strategy for Saturday with my team. But first I want to enjoy the medal and the emotions a little."
