Patrick Mayrhofer (born 15 September 1987)[1] is Austria's most successful Paralympic Snowboarder.[1] He won Silver in the Banked Slalom at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Gold in the Banked Slalom at the 2015 World Para Snowboard World Championships in La Molina, Spain, and Silver in the Banked Slalom at the 2019 World Para Snowboard World Championships in Pyhä, Finland. In 2015 he was honored as the Paralympic Austrian Sports Personality of the Year (German: Behindertensportler des Jahres).[2]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Austrian | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 September 1987 Helfenberg, Upper Austria | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Patrick Mayrhofer on Facebook | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Snowboarding | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | SB-UL | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Snowboard Cross, Banked Slalom | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Jean-Claude Keipes, Mario Ratz | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editBorn in Helfenberg, Upper Austria in 1987,[2] Mayrhofer had been snowboarding since childhood.[1] He worked as an electrician until an accident in February 2008, when he guiltless touched a 6000-volt power line, causing serious injury on his right upper leg, left forearm and right hand. On his right hand the thumb and parts of the middle finger needs to be amputated. After several unsuccessful attempts to reconstruct the function of his left hand Mayrhofer decides to amputate his left hand. His surgeon Dr. Oskar Aszmann from the University of Vienna worked close together with the prosthesis technology company Ottobock. So Mayrhofer became the first patient in the world to undergo elective amputation. His left hand was amputated around 17 cm (6.7 inches) below the elbow in July 2010.[1] After this, he was fitted with a groundbreaking prosthesis, known as a "Michelangelo Hand",[3][4] The elective amputation allows Mayrhofer to control the prosthesis in the same way as non-amputees do:[5] EMG electrodes in the prosthesis detect muscle signals within the lower arm which can be used for prosthesis control.[3] He can open bottles, tie shoelaces and brush his teeth within a short period of time.[1][5] After the amputation, he worked closely with Ottobock's R&D department giving feedback to the engineers; in 2013 he joined the company as a product specialist in upper limb prosthesis.[6]
Paralympic sport
editVisiting a prosthetics trade show in 2012, Mayrhofer saw a stall run by the Austrian Paralympic Committee, which led to him deciding to pursue para-snowboarding.[1][4] At the 2015 World Para Snowboard World Championships at La Molina, Spain, Mayrhofer won the gold medal in the Banked Slalom[7] and came fifth in snowboard cross.[8]
In the 2018 Winter Paralympics, he competed in both snowboarding events, coming fifth in snowboard cross on 12 March[9] but then winning the silver medal in Banked Slalom four days later.[10]
At the 2019 World Para Snowboard World Championships at Pyhä, Finland, Mayrhofer won the silver medal in the Banked Slalom.
Competition history
edit
Personal life
editMayrhofer is married.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Athlete Profile — Patrick MAYRHOFER". PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Mayrhofer ist Behindertensportler des Jahres". MeinBezirk.at (in German). 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ a b Sruthi Pinnameneni (6 July 2011). "Europe's first bionic hand still going strong a year on". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Patrick Mayrhofer". Ottobock. 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ a b Neil Bowdler (18 May 2011). "Bionic hand for 'elective amputation' patient". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ "Pilots of the Cybathlon: Patrick Mayrhofer". Cybathlon, ETH Zurich. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ a b "2015 IPCAS Para Snowboard World Championships La Molina: Men's Banked Slalom SB-UL". International Paralympic Committee. 28 February 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ a b "2015 IPCAS Para Snowboard World Championships La Molina: Men's snowboard cross SB-UL". International Paralympic Committee. 24 February 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Medals and Ranking — Men's Snowboard Cross SB-UL". PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Medals and Ranking — Men's Banked Slalom SB-UL". PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
External links
edit- Patrick Mayrhofer at the International Paralympic Committee
- Patrick Mayrhofer at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
- Patrick Mayrhofer at World Para Snowboard
- Patrick Mayrhofer on Facebook
- Profile on Ottobock website
- Athlete profile for the 2018 Winter Paralympics
- "My Incredible Story – Patrick Mayrhofer", a video interview on the International Paralympic Committee channel on YouTube