Paralympic champion Georg Tischler publishes memoir before 65th birthday
Thursday 10th September 2026 on 15:15 in
Austria
Paralympic shot put gold medallist Georg Tischler has published a memoir about his life, including his recovery after a motorcycle accident left him paralysed at the age of 16, ORF reported. The book was released shortly before his 65th birthday.
Tischler titled the book “An iron ball. A will of steel. Giving up was never an option.” In it, he describes the accident that changed his life: “It was an evening like so many others. I was on my way home, and the fog lay thick and heavy on the road. My moped was usually an extension of my body, one with me. But at that moment it became unpredictable. A moment of inattention, a wrong impulse, and suddenly I was trapped in a spiral of darkness, silence and pain.”
His story covers more than 400 pages. Tischler began writing it about 10 years ago after friends encouraged him to record his experiences. He repeatedly put the project on hold before returning to it two years ago. He completed the biography with author Robert Sommer.
The book was officially presented in Gols on Wednesday evening in the presence of friends, supporters and former companions. They included Walter Pfaller, a Paralympic gold medallist and Tischler’s first coach. Pfaller said it had always been important to him to develop not only Tischler as an athlete but also as a person. The book, he said, showed that Tischler was more than just a good sportsman.
At the presentation, Tischler looked back on the major milestones of his life, from his first contact with sport and anecdotes about allergic reactions to hair dyes to his victory at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. He recalled throwing 9.60 metres for a world record: “Only when the stadium announcer loudly shouted my new world record into the microphone did I realise how far the throw had actually gone. It was incredible.”
Tischler retired from active sport in 2018. He will also retire from his professional career on October 1 and is already planning another book, this time about accessibility.