Winter athlete (29) almost blind in one eye after a stroke - 20 days later in the gym

Created: 09/02/2022, 05:50

By: Andreas Knobloch

Kati Beierl is back in the gym 20 days after her stroke.

© Screenshot Instagram Kati Beierl

28 years old, professional athlete, sudden stroke and almost blind?

Kati Beierl, now 29, can go to the gym again.

Update from September 1, 2022:

On August 11, 2022, Kati Beierl, then 28 years old, suffered a stroke, as she told her fans on Instagram (see first report).

The cause was not yet clear and the effects were severe.

She can hardly see anything in her left eye, but there is finally some good news.

The athlete showed up again in the gym.

In the mirror selfie, the hair falls slightly over the left side of the face (mirror-inverted).

At least the 29-year-old is doing well enough on August 31 to be able to do exercises.

She writes: "hello again".

Winter athlete (29) almost blind in one eye after a stroke – Corona as the cause?

First report from August 30, 2022:

Vienna – Summer is the time for relaxation and vacation for winter sports enthusiasts.

That's exactly what Kati Beierl planned because she had had a pretty tough season.

For the bobsleigh pilot, this was not only due to her athletic performance, but also to a corona infection shortly before the Olympic Games in Beijing in February.

At that time, the athlete said to the

: "It got everyone, but me properly.

Despite the triple vaccination, I now often have to take longer breaks from training because it is difficult for me to breathe.

I don't even want to imagine what it must be like if you're not vaccinated and you catch Corona."

Winter athlete Beierl: "Can hardly see in the left eye"

Now the shock news of August 11, 2022 while resting from the strenuous time, five days before her 29th birthday: Beierl suffered a stroke while on vacation in Peru.

She shared all of this with her fans with a hospital photo on Instagram.

"I thought it was a normal migraine and went to bed.

When I was 28, I didn't even think about having a stroke.

Because it didn't get better, I took the best possible flight back to Vienna and got the diagnosis," writes Beierl, who, however, has to live with dire consequences.

"I can barely see in my left eye.

Fortunately, that's my only symptom, but it's bad," says Beierl.

According to the doctors, things could get better, but nothing is certain.

"Even if things get better, it's not clear if I'll be able to drive or bobsleigh again.

I'll have to stay in the hospital for a while," said Beierl on August 16, 2022.

Stroke at 28 as a top athlete?

Even corona infection could be the cause

So far we can only speculate about the background of the stroke.

When asked about the Austrian portal “heute”, Beierl says: “I can’t see a part on the left and most of the field of vision flickers.

The doctors are still at a loss as to how this could have happened."

The corona infection from January could play a role.

“Everything is currently being checked,” says the injured person.

Her greatest success was the overall World Cup victory in two-man bobsleigh 2020/2021, now she will be happy to be able to return to the bobsleigh track at all.

A 26-year-old world champion did not survive a drama on Mont Blanc, she fell and died.

In fact, she was an expert in her field.