Elijah Primak's path to the Paralympics squad is a story in itself.
A jump from a third-floor balcony resulted in the 23-year-old now being in a wheelchair.
"I took drugs every now and then when I was around 17. One day my friends and I decided to take a drug together. When I took it, I had a severe psychosis and thought about killing myself," says Primak.
"Then I jumped from my third-floor balcony, landed on the ground and crushed a vertebra in my back. At the same time, I broke my arm so that a bone spur was protruding."
The suicide attempt took place in 2019 and after two years he tried sit-skiing for the first time.
It's been fun to ski every day, every training session – so I really fell in love with skiing.
"What can I do?"
Today, Elijah Primak is in a wheelchair and, according to him, the accident has not affected him psychologically.
"When I was in hospital and they were rehabilitating me, the goal was to get back to a normal life and try to see the positive side - what can I do?"
"Back then, the attitude was that I would be able to handle everything. That has helped me a lot in life," says Primak.
Competing on Friday
On Friday, Elijah Primak will compete in the giant slalom at the Paralympics.
"My goals are probably just to ski as well as I can – and ski as well as I know I can when everything is right. I know I can be up there in the standings – but I've never raced the people I'll be racing now at the Paralympics, the best of the best."
The Milan-Cortina Paralympics continue until Sunday.
Name: Elijah Primak.
Sport: Alpine skiing.
Born: 2002 (23 years old).
Hometown: Sundsvall.
Association: Östersund-Frösö Slalom Club.
Disability: Spinal cord injury from a fall.
In emergencies or if you have thoughts of suicide, always call 112.
This is where you can turn if you feel unwell:
Mind.se.
Suicide Zero – suicidezero.se.
Spes – National Association for Suicide Prevention and Survivor Support. spes.se.
BRIS – children's rights in society. bris.se.
Save the Children – raddabarnen.se. Also for parents.
Alcoholics Anonymous – aa.se.
On-call buddy – receives calls from children and young people up to the age of 25. jourhavandekompis.se.
On-call fellow human being – can be reached at night on 08–702 16 80.
Friends – friends.se.
1177 – healthcare advice and information about the nearest psychiatric emergency department. 1177.se.
National mental health and suicide prevention helpline – reachable 24/7 at 90390.
