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Celine van Till
Celine van Till (born 20 June 1991)[1] is a Swiss para-athlete. She competed in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as a para-dressage rider. In 2023, she became time trial world champion in the T2 category at the Para-cycling Road World Championships in Glasgow. Van Till is also an author, speaker and sits on the Grand Council of Geneva for The Liberals. Early life and injuryWhen she was 6 years old, van Till started horse riding.[2] At 15, she finished 5th in the Swiss Junior Championships and was accepted into the junior national dressage team.[2] In 2008, she suffered a serious riding accident during training in Germany. Her horse reared up, fell, and buried van Till under it. She was in a coma for a month with a severe traumatic brain injury.[1] She had to learn everything again: speaking, eating, walking. In the months she spent in hospital, she fell into a deep depression. She tried to take her own life twice.[3] Van Till got back on her feet and gradually found her way in her new life. Impairments remained: her left field of vision is restricted, her vision is double and two-dimensional, her coordination and balance are impaired.[1] Her mother had encouraged her to ride again.[3] Sporting careerIn 2010, van Till competed in international competitions again. At the World Championships in Kentucky, she came 4th (freestyle) and 6th (individual) in para-dressage. In 2014, she competed in the World Championships again, and a year later she also competed in the European Championships. In 2016, she fulfilled a big dream: she took part in the Paralympics in Rio.[1] A year later, she competed again in the European Championships,[3] but soon she turned to a new sport. In 2018, van Till started para-athletics. As a sprinter, she qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics. But in 2021, she fell on her head at a meeting in Tunis. For months, she was again plagued by severe headaches and dizziness. She decided to put an end to her sporting career.[3] However, van Till couldn't get away from it. She took part in some fun runs and the Geneva triathlon. For this, she looked for a bicycle.[1] Van Till got on a Paralympic racing bike with three wheels. In 2022, she announced her return to the sport and won gold in the individual time trial and road race at the European Championships.[3] At the 2023 Para-cycling Road World Championships in Glasgow, she became world champion in the time trial and won a silver medal in the road race.[3] A week later, she was crowned European champion in both disciplines at the European Championships in Rotterdam.[4] Political careerIn 2021, van Till also began her political career. She was a board member of the Geneva branch of The Liberals for two years before being elected to the Grand Council in April 2023.[5][3] Personal lifeVan Till has written two books about her way back to life. "Pas à Pas. Historie d'un accident et d'une résurrection" and "Tout est possible. D'une situation de l'autre" was published in 2011 and 2021 respectively.[6] In 2017, the film "Bucéphale" was released, which also tells her story. It won several awards.[7] She is an ambassador for people with disabilities.[8] In 2017, she founded the "Tout est possible" foundation, which supports disabled athletes.[9] Van Till has a bachelor's degree in marketing and also works as a speaker.[2][10] References
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