by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Winning gold in the women's singles luge event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games meant far more than another title for Julia Taubitz.
"I hope I delivered an example for all athletes to never give up and to overcome mountain-high obstacles that seem unbearable," the 29-year-old German said after her victory.
Four years earlier, her Olympic dream had collapsed in Beijing. Entering the 2022 Games as the favorite, Taubitz crashed out as early as the second of four runs, ending her gold-medal hopes in dramatic fashion.
"At that moment, my whole world collapsed," she recalled. "Many people told me, 'Don't worry, in four years there will be another chance.' I hated hearing that. I thought four years was too long. I was completely shattered."
Faced with a crossroads, Taubitz said she had only two options: to give up or to fight back in the spirit of the Olympics.
"In the end, failure taught me something that applies to everyone," she said. "You have to draw strength from your setbacks."
She began working with a mental coach and confronted what she described as her biggest weakness. Gradually, she learned to accept that "the crash in Beijing is part of my life."
"You don't learn when you always win," she added. "It takes setbacks to develop and improve."
That process led to four flawless runs on the Cortina track and, finally, Olympic gold. Surrounded by family and friends, Taubitz said the triumph went beyond sport.
"This happy ending is not just my story," she said. "It shows that you can rise again after dark moments."
She described the "dragon", her lingering memories of Beijing, as something she had been chasing ever since the disappointment in China. This time, however, it felt different.
"Beijing wasn't far away. It was with me, but it felt familiar," she said. "I had made peace with what happened."
On the ice in Cortina, she felt her sled "dance and fly," supported rather than haunted by the past. The nights before and between the runs, she said, were calm.
"I slept like a baby," Taubitz said. "I was more nervous about my teammates than about myself."
While Taubitz found new mental stability, her mother Simone experienced what she called "all kinds of ups and downs," including high blood pressure and a racing pulse during the competition.
After completing her Olympic events, Taubitz said she plans to stay on as a spectator, eager to watch "as many of the exciting new events as possible."
This time, she said, the dragon was finally on her side. ■
