Snowboarder Marcus Kleveland was at the top of his sport and hadn't even turned 20 when he had to contemplate the very thing no athlete ever wants to hear – that your career might be prematurely over.
There are run-of-the-mill injuries and then there are genuinely career-threatening injuries. For Kleveland, the accident in 2018 that shattered his knee "into a lot of pieces" definitely landed in the latter bracket.
01
The injury
The Norwegian slopestyle specialist was preparing for the Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado when he slid off a rail in practice and landed knee-first on another rail running alongside it. Instantly, he knew it wasn’t like any spill he'd experienced since taking up snowboarding at the age of three. "It was one of the worst pains that I ever imagined was possible," Kleveland remembers. "I just knew something was terribly wrong."
While not delivered directly to him, the reality was that doctors were informing his physio team that returning to competitive snowboarding might not be a viable option for the then 19-year-old.
Maybe it was the defiance of youth, or being in denial, but Kleveland didn’t fully process the seriousness of the situation at first. The thought of not winning more X Games medals or competing at further Olympic Games and world championships hadn't entered his mind.
"They thought it was career-ending," he says. "I feel like it was a good thing that they didn't tell me directly. I only heard it afterwards. I'd never really thought of the injury as being as bad as it was."
I always felt like I could get back from it, even though everything hurt really bad. I only had one goal and that was just to get back to snowboarding
Four weeks in a wheelchair, many more on crutches with his leg in a brace and multiple surgeries would follow before Kleveland could consider walking again, let alone strapping in to ride a snowboard. He attended physio and gym sessions twice a day, and spent hours upon hours doing exercises in a pool. All in all, it would take nearly a year of intense rehab before he felt ready to accomplish his only goal of snowboarding again.
"I only had small goals to pursue initially and just have things to try to make me happy. I always had people around, friends and family. I had gaming to do while I was in the wheelchair. I always had something to do," he recalled. "I always felt like I could get back from it, even though everything hurt really bad. I only had one goal and that was just to get back to snowboarding.”
My biggest achievement was getting back on my board after being told that I might never snowboard again
It wasn’t just the physical elements of his recovery that he had to overcome, it was the mental side too. Kleveland admits that his mind took a lot of convincing that his body was capable of reaching the heights it once had.
"I was still pretty scared of doing tricks and getting back into the mode, because I didn't want it to happen again,” Kleveland said. "I was really nervous and not trusting my knee. It took a while to really trust that everything was okay."
03
Marcus Kleveland's back on top
Since the injury, Kleveland has gone on to cement his legacy as one of the most innovative and progressive snowboarders of his generation. World-first tricks, 13 X Games medals, Laax Open victory and two world titles are just some of the things listed on his illustrious snowboarding CV. But even after everything he has achieved, just being back out on the snow is still the greatest accomplishment of all.
Kleveland reveals: "My biggest achievement was definitely getting back on my board. After being told that I might never snowboard again, I went on to have the best season I'd ever had on a snowboard in 2021. Just coming back feels incredible."
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