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Mapping the right route to a successful career whilst still competing in elite sport is not an automatic priority of athletes that are dedicated to sporting success. Sometimes it is only when injured and out of their daily training routine that athletes seriously think of the challenges of creating a life after sport. This is certainly true of Lea Müller (born 07.05.1982), a world-class orienteer from Liestal in Switzerland. In 2005 Lea, together with Simone Niggli, won the world relay championship; in 2008 she was 8th in the World Championship and in 2009 was 4th in the World Cup final. However, in 2010 an Achilles tendon injury put her rigorous sport and training routine on hold for many months. Lea had successfully completed a five-year sport and sport sciences diploma at Berne University in 2008, but sporting ambitions still dominated and the injury was a major setback. But as Lea explained, with the help of the ACP she was still able to make a positive step forward in her life: “As holder of a Swiss Olympic card, I knew about the ACP. It was an ideal moment to discuss my career prospects with an expert and plan my entry into the professional world. A meeting with a Swiss ACP advisor led to a three-month assignment at the Swiss Olympic Medical Centre in Muttenz, negotiated for me by Adecco. I worked in performance diagnostics and biomechanics. I jumped in at the deep end and my responsibilities grew week by week. For me the placement was the perfect solution to my forced injury lay-off. After sport, I can imagine working in this field. This placement gave me the opportunity to visualize and experience what life will be like beyond sport and it has been incredibly valuable.”
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