S1 Ep15: Bruno Bosnjak on overcoming trauma

Croatian snowboarder Bruno Bosnjak speaks candidly about the trauma of breaking his back twice, and how he overcame his darkest days to become a Paralympic medallist.

Bosnjak was severely injured after a snowboard accident when training for the Olympics in 2006.

“I remember everything. I never lost consciousness. I was going 60km per hour and someone came underneath me in the air. Then when I was lying there in the finish and I wanted to move, I can’t move," he says.

"The craziest thing about that was I just... It's not that I could not move, the body was not here. I just felt my head. Then they said the spinal cord is probably cut.”

Bosnjak, who maintains that "all of my life is rehab", emerged from hospital intent on returning to sport and the world of snowboarding, although a second serious incident left him with a broken vertebrae and put those plans on hold again.

“It ended in a very dangerous surgery where the doctor said that I could die again. I’m always fearing death in my life. I was going to risk it because I didn’t want to stay in this dislocated position. I’d rather risk my life than have a life where I cannot do anything because I have to take care of my neck all the time," he said.

And yet, despite two major near-death experiences, Bosnjak did return to the slopes, and explains in detail how he was able to overcome the trauma in his life to win Winter Paralympics bronze in PyeongChang.

Learning topics for this episode include overcoming trauma, mental strength, the importance of family, defiance and determination.

Allianz is a long-standing partner of the International Paralympic Committee. Together, we’re proud to bring you A Winning Mindset: Lessons From The Paralympics. We aim to help you move forward in all aspects of your personal and professional life.

By hearing from Paralympic stars, you’ll be introduced to stories that inspire and change the way you think. Stories of facing life’s challenges with confidence, determination and excellence, and the true power of having the right team behind you.