Kira Grünberg

During her pole vault career, Kira Grünberg was considered one of the few Austrian track and field athletes who could be expected to make the leap into the world elite. As the second youngest participant, she made it to the final of the 2014 European Athletics Championships, and achieved further top international results with a 4th place at the 2012 U-20 World Championships and a 4th place at the 2015 U-23 European Championships. The young Tyrolean still holds the Austrian record in the pole vault at 4.45 meters. A serious training accident in July 2015 completely changed Kira Grünberg's life: instead of landing on the mat, she landed with her neck exactly on the metal edge of the vaulting box and broke her fifth cervical vertebra. The result: severe damage to her spinal cord and paraplegia! Since then, Kira Grünberg has fought her way back to life with enormous determination and zest for life. In her lectures, she wants to pass on her experiences to as many people as possible. Since the fall of 2017, she has been a member of the Austrian National Council and spokesperson for the disabled for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's party, which is currently in power.