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Ski jumping is one of the most popular winter sports, attracting huge audiences of fans around the world. One of the best-known German competitors is Marinus Kraus. Just 29 years old, he has already enjoyed an extremely successful career, the highlight being winning gold at the Sochi Olympics with his team, back in 2014.

Like most professional athletes, Marinus has always tried to take great care of his body, but despite his best efforts, his job does leave its mark. It’s not just the constant physical stress from training that can be challenging – ski jumping also requires very specific movements that can be tough on joints, especially the knees. With all his training and competitions, it was almost inevitable that some day Marinus would encounter problems.

In May 2019, when he was in the middle of preparing for the next  season, he noticed a swelling on his knee that soon became worse and began to hurt – a lot. He consulted a medical specialist, who diagnosed a tear in the meniscus, cartilage damage to the joint surfaces and irritation and stretching of the ligaments. Unfortunately, these injuries couldn’t be treated conservatively and Marinus needed surgery. The doctor who carried out the procedure then introduced Marinus to Dr Jutta Hugenberg, Senior Manager of the Health & Nutrition Business Unit at GELITA.

Together with his coaches and doctors, Marinus decided to try supplementation with two kinds of Bioactive Collagen Peptides to see if they would help his injuries to heal: TENDOFORTE® and FORTIGEL®, both at a daily dose of 10 g. While TENDOFORTE® has a beneficial effect on collagen synthesis inside tendons and ligaments, FORTIGEL® has been proven to stimulate joint cartilage regeneration. Marinus also started a comprehensive rehabilitation programme.

Over the following months, he made surprisingly quick progress, and was able to start training again much earlier than expected. “I was able to train hard and also noticed that I needed less time than before to recover after my training sessions,” he says. His strength values increased to such an extent that he was ready to return to ski jumping by November 2019 – only five months after his surgery.

By May 2020, Marinus’ strength values and jump height were back to where they had been before his operation, with no noticeable difference in strength between his left and right legs – all of which is extremely important for his sport.

Marinus is convinced that his quick recovery would not have been possible without Bioactive Collagen Peptides. “I believe that after 15 months of supplementing with TENDOFORTE® and FORTIGEL®, I am once again able to train at the highest level without suffering any repercussions,” he says.

If you want to learn more about our wide range of BPC®s, or are interested in more experience reports from professional athletes, don’t hesitate to contact us today.