Despite severe deafness, our employee Johanna Köttl not only masters her everyday working life excellently but also shows top performances in competitive sports. In March this year, at the 20th winter Deaflympics in Erzurum, Turkey, she reached the impressive third place in giant slalom.
Inclusion is more than a keyword, not only in working life but also in sports. At the international winter Deaflympics - a deaf sports competition that is held every four years by the International Commitee of Sports for the Deaf - our colleague Johanna Köttl impressively proved how diversity and performance can go hand in hand. In the following interview, Johanna tells us about her passion for skiing and her impressions of the Deaflympics.
Johanna, how did your journey as competitive sportswoman start and how did you discover your passion for skiing?
My journey as competitive sportswoman already started in my early childhood when my father taught me to ski and hugely influenced me in terms of skiing. Many of my most beautiful childhood memories are connected to skiing, especially because there is a ski lift directly behind my parent’s house and so I skied a lot. As a teenager, I joined the skiing club Union Aqotec Weißenkirchen through my best friend where we trained a lot together and participated in various competitions such as the regional and national cups. Thanks to a lucky coincidence, I discovered the Association for the Deaf and therefore had the chance to participate in races for deaf people. This opened the door for me to participate in European cup events and ultimately led me to being part of the national squad since 2023.
How do you motivate yourself in times of backstrokes and which strategies help you to perform at your best?
In my opinion, fun on what you are doing is one of the most important factors. I just like being on skies, no matter if it’s on race day or in my free time. My motto is to just try to ski well and be faster than the others - everything else will follow. Of course there are also backstrokes but then I focus on the good performances I have already reached and as a result the low doesn’t seem to be that big anymore.
How did your prepare yourself for the Deaflympics?
In general, I prepare myself with condition, coordination and strength training in the summer months. The intense training time for winter season started in fall. I was on skies almost every weekend and especially the regular training sessions during the week were a big challenge in terms of time alongside my full-time job at STIWA. But as you see, it was well worth it!
How do you remember the race days?
The difficult weather conditions messed up our schedule a little bit, but the races could take place under fair conditions. I was a little bit unlucky in slalom, but the giant slalom was incredible. For me it is overwhelming that I was able to win the bronze medal in the two runs. The close battle in parallel slalom, where I was able to reach the 4th place, was also a highlight of this event for me.
Winning a medal made me insanely proud and brought me huge pleasure. Of course, it is also a confirmation to be selected for the Austrian national team.
What impressions do you particularly remember from the Deaflympics in Erzurum?
It was a great event. The skiing experience, the excellent snow conditions, the hospitality, the new made friendships and everything around was just awesome!
The next winter games are planned for 2027 in Innsbruck. Which plans and goals are you following for that?
I don’t have a specific strategy yet. It is for sure that I want to intensify summer training for winter and complete as man snow training days as possible in the coming season. My goal for the following season is to reach a podium finish again at the world championship of the deaf which will take place in Slovakia next year.
How important is it to you to not only be present as an athlete, but also as ambassador for deaf athletes and to promote awareness for their performances?
It is very important to raise awareness that we as deaf people can and want to participate in top-class sports as well. I hope that in the future, we will get more medial coverage in classical and social media - and therefore also more attention for our major sports events. Our Deaf Sports Community is small and great. That’s why I want to encourage everyone to just take part.
Thank you for the interview! We wish you good luck with your skiing in the future!
Information about the person:
Johanna Köttl is 26 years old and works in the area After Sales at STIWA Automation GmbH.
