For three years he had to take a break from basketball due to mental illness.
Now Elias Dysport Norrkoping is the dolphins’ most anticipated gold medal champion – despite the tough news of illness ahead of the final.
– It sounds like a fairy tale to be told at a campfire, he says.
Elias Desports didn’t have many minutes during the quarter-finals and semi-finals. But when Adam Ramstedt injured himself in the first final, the 29-year-old had to step in and was a powerful contributor to the Norrköping’s dolphins He went to 2-0 in the basketball final games against Jämtland.
It wasn’t something Dysport had in his wildest imagination three years ago when he was forced to take a break from basketball due to a mental illness.
He now stands as an unimaginable Swedish hero.
– I felt mentally ill and took a year off. I was in the worst period of my life ever. To go from there, to “Frysen” and win a match to advance to the Sweden Championship final and win the gold medal in the Sweden Championship. Sounding like a fairy tale to be told at a campfire, it continues:
– There are a hundred emotions at the same time. Happiness and ecstasy. Desport says it’s cool, I can’t describe it in words.
“I can hardly talk to him.”
Dysport hit the field during the final streak, but it wasn’t easy out there. After the last sign, he told Sportbladet that his father fell seriously ill and ended up in hospital before the final.
– I never thought I’d be here. It does not occur to us where you come from. I don’t know, I have no words now. It was a lot, so far in the final. My father had cancer two months ago and ended up in a hospital in the United States. He needed surgery and I couldn’t see him and could hardly speak to him, so it was hard to go through and hard to focus on the match at the same time.
How is he now?
– He’s feeling better, he’s recovering. But it was scary.
Norrköping won the final 4-2 in matches after winning their sixth final away game in Östersund 91-81.
How are you going to celebrate?
– I don’t know. I have no idea. But I won’t sleep in a week. I really find it hard to sleep after matches.