Hazal Nehir

Written by: Hazal Nehir

Edited by: Kevin Franzén & Jake Chapman
Issue #5, 2023

Article photography: Mert Ali Bek

Can you describe your current injury and the rehabilitation process you are undergoing? What is the biggest challenge for you, and how does it affect your daily life?

Eight months ago I had a fall while filming for Capstone’s “SWARM” video, in Prague. I dislocated my elbow and tore my ligaments. I’ve had 2 surgeries, and at the moment my elbow is still recovering. It’s not fully back, but the recovery is going well. I’ve been doing exercises almost every day. Since I haven’t been able to use my arm for such a long time, it’s obviously taking a lot of time to bring the muscles back, increase the elbow’s mobility, and fully recover the ligaments. During the fall my wrists also took some really heavy impact and they don’t feel good at all right now. I’m trying to turn them 90 degrees and I can’t get them even close. It is affecting my training a lot, mentally and physically.

Sometimes it will start hurting randomly during the day. A couple of weeks ago I had a treatment in the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center, where I got an MRI for my wrist. I found out that I have a really big bone edema in my wrist, which means I have fluid inside of the bones. The doctor wasn’t sure why I still have that much bone edema, since it has been quite some time since I got injured. I’ve been working on my wrist mobility for the last 5-6 months to be able to bring it back to normal. Now I’ve been told to stop forcing it. I’m so confused about what to do at the moment. It’s hard not to have any time frame for recovery ahead of me.

In your time spent recovering, have you found that there are any benefits that you didn’t expect? What has been the most positive aspect of taking time to recover?

There are some positive sides of being injured as well. I’m not saying this to make myself, or anyone else, feel good about injuries. Injuries suck! But during my recovery time, I’ve learnt how to slow down and enjoy the small things. Like holding a glass, wearing socks, or tying shoes. At one point I had a hard time doing these sorts of things. I’ve felt grateful just being able to go out for a walk. Most importantly, I have started to learn how to not identify myself with parkour. It’s still really hard not to, but I’m working on it.

How do you manage the frustration and mental challenges that come along with being injured and unable to train at your usual level?

I’ve been frustrated so many times. I’ve been pissed and sad because I haven’t been able to train at the level I want to. I suppose it’s normal to have bad days, but it’s important to stop and think about what you’ve gone through. I had days where I was not even able to get out of my own bed. I realized I’ve had high expectations on my training before being fully recovered. Hard not to though. However, this mindset hasn’t helped me at all. Often I would just end up disappointing myself. I’ve learnt to lower my expectations and just go out jumping to have fun, and not worry about doing any hard challenges.

How has this injury affected your professional career within parkour? Have you lost out on any job opportunities during your recovery time, and how do you continue to generate an income without being able to fully physically perform?

To be honest, being an injured professional athlete is not easy. It comes with a lot of stress. Not only because of recovery, but also because making money becomes a challenge. I haven’t lost out on so many job opportunities, because I don’t even get that many jobs. My Visa-application to England was more of an issue than my injury. During that time I did not make any money. Luckily I’m in a very fortunate position thanks to Red Bull, and I had some savings to help me survive.

This injury has helped me realize, trying to make money through parkour is harder than it looks and I guess it is not something I want to rely on. That’s why I’ve started making podcasts and youtube videos. I want to keep doing parkour because I enjoy it, not because I need money.

How do you balance your desire to return to training quickly with the need to ensure a full recovery? What factors do you consider while making your decisions?

I want to be back doing parkour fully. But at the moment I still have some more recovery to do. It’s frustrating, but I trust the process. I don’t have a time frame, I just know it will happen one day. Maybe in a couple of months, maybe in a couple of years. I just know I will be back stronger. I consider physical and mental health to be the most important thing in our lives, and my priority is to fully recover. The good thing with parkour is that there are so many moves and styles you can still do while being injured. It is all about feeling comfortable and working through the challenges smartly. Now is the best time to adapt my training style. I started enjoying going to the gym and training my flips more.