When does a broken patella heal? That’s the question gnawing at Anikken Gjerde Alnæs.

The new star of Team Engcon has a wild dream of competing this winter – preferably before Christmas. But she doesn’t know how long it will take for her broken kneecap to heal, or if it will heal at all, or if she will ever be able to compete in skiing again.

“It’s progressing, but the doctors can’t say when I might be able to compete or ski fully again. They also don’t know if I will recover completely,” Anikken says after the serious roller ski accident at the end of June. She was struck down on a pathway between Ski and Ås, sustaining multiple injuries. “Most of the injuries have healed; today, it’s the broken patella that is the challenge,” says the long-distance star who has no intention of giving up. “I thought about it when I lay on the ground, immediately feeling that something was broken. But now the goal is to get back. Preferably as soon as possible.”

Uncertain Return

Whether she will be able to stand on the starting line again this winter is also uncertain. “The doctors have said it could take anywhere from 6 to 12 months. I’ve always tried to tell myself that I’ll halve that time. Today, I can bend my knee 80 degrees; in the days following the accident, it only bent 30 degrees.” Anikken aims to get over 90 degrees so she can sit in a hockey position. However, the difficult downhill sections and sharp turns will still pose problems. “Today, I can skate on roller skis uphill if it’s going straight. That’s a big improvement, and Anikken Gjerde Alnæs refuses to believe she won’t be able to compete in Ski Classics this winter. ‘It could be in March, or I might have to wait until next season. But in my mind, I have a dream of being able to participate already in the premiere in Bad Gastein in December. Not to achieve a result, but just to be there.’”

She Won’t Give Up

She continues to follow her new team even on crutches and with a knee that cannot fully bend. Most recently, she was in Trondheim; next weekend, the team gathers for training around Gardermoen. “Our new team manager, Jørgen Ulvang, is a physiotherapist, and he helps me when I’m with the team.” Her partner, Carl Fredrik Hagen, a professional cyclist, also has important contacts in the medical field who have been supportive. However, everyone has been shocked when seeing images of her broken patella. “Yes, they probably didn’t believe it was that bad. I’ve seen the pictures, and there are several large pieces as well as fragments floating around. As mentioned, they are unsure how long it will take before this heals completely.”

Read More: Hit by a car in June: Now begins the long road back

Police Have Dropped the Case

Anikken Gjerde Alnæs also reveals that the police have dropped the case regarding the accident, although in her version, there’s no doubt about who is at fault. “The lawyers are handling that matter, but the car swerved onto the bike path and drove straight at me,” she says. Immediately after the accident, she was operated on at Aker Hospital, and rehabilitation began the very next day at A-hus.

Four Years in Ski Classics

The 30-year-old from Rustad IL made her Ski Classics debut four years ago, in 2020. At that time, she had just delivered two top-10 finishes in sprint in the World Cup but was looking for something more. She found it in long-distance racing. Already in her second season in Ski Classics, she finished second in the fight for the green sprint jersey. The following year, she won the sprint jersey and finished ninth overall in Ski Classics. This year, she again placed second in the sprint competition, despite having large parts of the season disrupted by illness. However, at the end of the season, Alnæs delivered several strong performances. She was in the top six seven times, achieved two second-place finishes from Orsa as her best results for the winter, and ended the season with a dominant victory in Iceland.

This article has been translated by Katerina Paul, from Kjell-Erik Kristiansen on Langrenn.com