Horrific injuries have failed to curtail Kirsten’s enthusiasm

Keen athlete wants to share her philosophy for coping with trauma

Following a horrific accident five years ago, Kirsten Koh thought she would never walk again.

Now almost fully recovered, bar a slight limp, the 36-year-old has recently moved to Dundee and is aiming to use her experience to help others by setting up an injury and illness rehabilitation consultancy.

Originally from Singapore, Kirsten’s world was turned upside down five years ago. The keen triathlete and sports lecturer was cycling in her native country with her partner Orla Gilmore, from Edinburgh, when she was hit by a lorry, which dragged her underneath its chassis.

She broke her pelvis, both femurs, ankles, left tibia, left shoulder and fibula.

Kirsten spent three months in hospital and a further seven in a wheelchair.

Initially told she might never run again and with a lifetime of sport in her blood, including competing in triathlons every month, everything she knew was snatched away from her.

“I was used to being active and independent so to be bound to a wheelchair was tough,” Kirsten recalls.

However, along with incredible support from Orla and her own family, plus a mind over body philosophy, she set herself simple goals to get her life back to normal.

One of them was to see in the new year sunrise on the beach – something she did every year before her accident.

A year after the accident Kirsten moved to Western Australia to study for a PhD in sports psychology and as her body got stronger, she kept challenging herself to swim longer and cycle further.

“While there, I used my experience to set up a mentorship programme, based on the importance of social support, to help injured athletes,” she says.

Kirsten moved to Dundee six weeks ago, a move inspired by Orla, who is studying for a medical degree at Dundee University. As well as hoping to set up her own business, she also has an online coaching company for injured athletes. At the moment, though, she is acclimatising to our summer weather.

“It’s colder and wetter than I imagined but I’m getting used to it,” she laughs.

She and Orla are training to run a half marathon in the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run on October 2 in Glasgow. www.kirstenkoh.com www.greatscottishrun.com

To be bound to a wheelchair was tough

Kirsten Koh, in green T-shir and Orla Gilmore, right, celebrate the end of Kirsten’s first “race” after her accident, the Singapore Sundown Marathon in 2012, which took her 10½ hours to walk.