Almost seven years ago Samer Tawk wasn’t sure he’d ever walk again.
“I was young and crazy and was skiing somewhere I shouldn’t have been in Lebanon, and I fell 14 meters (46 feet),” Tawk told DW.
Now the 27-year-old cross-country skier is preparing to represent Lebanon at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
It marks a long-awaited comeback. In 2019 Tawk was eyeing the 2022 Beijing Games — his second Olympics — when a severe crash changed everything. “I was broken. I broke my hips in four places. My left leg was 40% paralysed. I tore my urethra, had internal bleeding, broke my elbow and my hand,” he said. He spent more than a week in intensive care and initially worried about surviving, then about permanent disability.
Recovery was gradual. He focused on small gains. “I didn’t complicate things. I didn’t overthink it. I just wanted to try my best, and that’s what I told the doctors,” Tawk said. Tiny improvements kept him motivated. He even considered returning to competition, either at the Paralympics or the Olympics, despite many doctors doubting a full recovery.
Early on he could barely manage 10 meters on cross-country skis; his left leg gave out and he fell repeatedly. That persisted for about two years. By around three and a half years after the accident he felt he could train seriously again.
Tawk’s skiing journey began at age six near his hometown of Bsharri, about 60 kilometers north of Beirut. He first tried alpine skiing but switched to cross-country because it was cheaper — coaching and season passes for alpine were costly. Lebanon has plenty of snow but limited organized winter-sports infrastructure. For Milan Cortina, Lebanon’s delegation will include only two athletes: Tawk and alpine skier Andrea El Hayek, who will contest the men’s slalom.
Living close to the slopes helped Tawk increase his training. In 2015 the Lebanese federation brought a coach from Serbia who told him that with enough work he could reach the Olympics in three years — and in 2018 he did. Tawk became the first athlete from Lebanon to compete in Olympic cross-country skiing at Pyeongchang, finishing 105th in the 15-kilometer freestyle and describing the experience as brutally cold but rewarding.
After his accident he had hoped for a quick recovery, thinking he might be back to normal in six months. By 2020 he was still struggling and by 2021 not yet fit to race. Determined to be part of Beijing 2022, he attended those Games as a coach since he couldn’t compete.
Now, four years later, he returns as an athlete. Tawk doesn’t expect to challenge the powerhouse European nations such as Norway, Sweden, Finland or Switzerland, and he believes Lebanon might only start contending for podiums in a couple of decades. “Thinking about a medal is more than dreaming,” he said, noting the deep history and huge funding those countries invest in cross-country skiing. For now, success means meeting his own expectations and competing with nations at a similar level, like Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
Tawk also hopes his presence will inspire Lebanon to invest more in winter sports. He expressed frustration at the lack of official recognition and support ahead of the Olympics. “For the Winter Olympics, I am frustrated that we don’t have any official recognition. Nobody has said ‘good luck’ officially. We didn’t even have a meeting and I don’t even know if I will be given kit to wear. Lebanon is a beautiful country but it’s not great if you want to be organized as an athlete,” he said.
Despite the setbacks and limited support, Tawk is simply glad to be back on the start line.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding