OlympicTalk · Feb 25, 2019
After a crash left her paralyzed, Kristina Vogel pushes forward
As one of the most accomplished track cyclists of her generation, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kristina Vogel has spent much of her life under the lights of a velodrome.
But for a few moments on June 26, 2018, things suddenly went dark.
Vogel, then 27, was training for the team sprint on a concrete track in Cottbus, Germany. Another cyclist was standing on the track, but Vogel, traveling full-speed at about 37 miles per hour, didn’t see him, and they collided.
She can’t remember what happened next.
Vogel woke up on the track and saw her teammates running toward her. She asked one of them to hold her hand. Once her track shoes had been removed, Vogel realized she couldn’t feel her legs.