Thomas Fogdö was involved in an accident that would change his life forever.
Then rival Alberto Tomba made an unforgettable gesture.
– He is in a special place in my heart, says Fogdö.
Thomas Fogdö was a celebrated alpine star and had practically his entire career ahead of him when the terrible accident occurred in early February 1995. Fogdö was only 24 years old, but had already taken five World Cup victories in slalom, and many predicted him to become the ski world’s the next king.
The heartbreaking accident
But during a training run in Åre, everything changed. Fogdö has said in retrospect that he only did one “transport run”, and only had the next run in mind, and that’s when the accident happened.
– When I lost my balance, I understood that now it’s going to hell. It only took the cross-stop, but it didn’t hurt. But I was lying on my back with my legs folded over me and I wasn’t really that awake so I understood that something had broken, Fogdö has told.
The message Fogdö is among the worst imaginable. His back was broken and Fogdö was paralyzed from the waist down. Fogdö remained in hospital for four months, and his alpine career was over. During Fogdö’s career, one of the biggest rivals was the colorful profile Alberto Tomba. The Italian, one of the alpine world’s greatest ever, took over the baton from Ingemar Stenmark, but also offered the audience something that Stenmark might not have been associated with.
READ MORE: Ingemar Stenmark reveals his unexpected gratitude to Björn Borg – after the decisive life decision: “I was lucky”
The rival’s gesture
Tomba was a showman, one who always offered the audience exactly what they wanted to see and hear. He was also known as a bad boy, but Fogdö has a completely different image of him, and this is further reinforced after Fogdö’s fatal accident. Fogdö has said that he always has “a special place in his heart”, and there is an explanation for the love Fogdö feels.
Directly after the accident, the great rival from Italy came forward, in what was an unforgettable gesture.
– He was one of the first to get in touch after I hurt myself, and I don’t know why I thought it was surprising, but I didn’t really expect it. He is in a special place in my heart, so I would like to meet him, Fogdö has said.
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