Friday, 20. February 2009
Matthias Günther: "Comeback in the team maybe in June!"
credit: Silvio Ferrari
In 333 days, the Men's Handball EURO 2010, will take place in Austria. One of the main players, pivot Matthias Günther, celebrated his comeback in the dress of A1 Bregenz last weekend after five months of forced rest (the last game before the surgery on 13 September 2008 in the Champions League qualification in Lissabon): The Austrian scored the first Bregenz goal in the 42:24-victory against Tulln, the fans celebrated his comeback after the hip surgery frenetically.
On 2 of October Matthias Günther got a new femoral head and a new acetabulum of titanium and ceramics. He is the first professional handball player in Austria with an artificial hip.
Matthias, what exactly was the reason for the surgery?
MG: "Diagnosis was a femoral head necrosis, the femoral head was no longer supplied with blood and died back. Why this happened, no one knows."
Since when are you back in training?
MG: "Since January, I am back in team training, I only had to slow down in the beginning. Immediately after the surgery I started weight training and cycling. After six weeks I added jumps and then week after week more and more. I´ve been in St. Gallen with my doctor once a week and got my weekly program, which I then independently completed in the Fitness Center."
Is there any residual fear in duels left?
MG: "Not fear - but I'm still a bit cautious in the attack - it is still lacking security. From time to time I still feel pain, this could last for at least half a year, but however, this pain is not comparable with the pain before the surgery."
Can you play already "full power"?
MG: "Tomorrow` s against the Fivers. I will now continue playing normally, but it will still take a while until I am quite the old man. "
What about your comeback in the national team?
MG: "I hope in June, I have talked to coach Dagur Sigurdsson in January, but at that time, there was still not clear, however, when I´m gonna come back. Now, first of all, I have to play good for Bregenz and recommend myself for the national team with a good performance."
