After a severe heart muscle disease that almost ended his career, ice hockey professional Philipp Wimmer is stronger than ever at Red Bull Salzburg – and wants to repay the trust in it.
The 23-year-old defender fell ill in the 2022/23 season on cardiac muscle inflammation as a result of a depressed corona infection. “The doctors said at the time: you are young, it will be again. But how much my family has taken care of it showed me that nothing is a matter of course in life,” says Wimmer in an interview with the “Salzburger Nachrichten”. The setback almost ended his career, today he is all the more grateful for the second chance.
Now Wimmer is one of the top six defenders in Salzburg-the only Austrian native. “I’m just grateful that I will get this chance again,” he emphasizes. He rejected offers from other clubs to stay in Salzburg: “Because I want to repay the trust.”
Team boss Roger Bader also relies on the 23-year-old: “He always kept very large pieces on me, but I am still grateful for him today,” says Wimmer.
Pic: Bernd Feil – EC Red Bull Salzburg
