WORTHINGTON, Ohio — Brain injuries can be life-threatening, but one Ohio teen athlete is living proof of overcoming adversity after nearly losing her Olympic dreams and life in a training accident. 

What You Need To Know

  • USA Luge Athlete Adeline Albert began her luge journey in 2017

  • During a training run in South Korea last year, Adeline was in a crash

  • Adeline suffered a traumatic brain injury

  • She was able to return to the sport in July and is back competing again

Adeline Albert is always on the run, but luge is what she lives for. 

The USA luge athlete began her journey in 2017 at the white castle slider search. 

“I didn’t know it was a sport until I showed up, and before I knew it, I was on the team.”

Albert’s competed everywhere, Canada, Germany, Austria, but one slide last February didn’t go as planned. She was on a training run in South Korea when it happened. 

“I don’t remember the crash itself,” said Albert. “I’ve been told that we just didn’t enter a curve correctly. I think we hit the top of the curve and then came down and hit one of the inside short walls.”

It caused a traumatic brain injury. Albert had to undergo two brain surgeries. Doctors had to take out part of her skull for the brain to swell.

But her recovery was something out of a movie.

“By some miracle, I walked out of the hospital like nothing happened. Absolutely insane, and on top of that, being told that I can go back to the sport I absolutely love is the biggest blessing.” 

And for that, she’s thankful. 

“People who get these injuries, some people never wake up.”

Recovering from that, she said, reminds her that life is a blessing.

“I would just say never give up and always keep pushing,” said Albert. “Because you never know where, like, the next chapter of your life is going to go. So, you want to let it happen.”

As far as luge goes, this isn’t the end of her story. 

“Hopefully, one day make it to the Olympics and try to win a medal,” she said.

But first, she has the USA Junior Nationals Race in New York to train for. 

Albert’s competing in the USA Junior Nationals Race at the beginning of March. It will be her 7th competition since the crash. 

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