by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Jonathan Hilbert exited the national stadium in Tokyo without drawing much attention. Finishing 16th in the men's 35-kilometer race walk is a far cry from the capability of an athlete who won silver in the 50-kilometer competition at the Olympics four years earlier.

But for the 30-year-old German, the 2025 World Athletics Championships represented what might be the most considerable success of his life.

Having gradually fallen into depression, the race walker said: "I had lost every will to live. I sometimes only made it onto the couch, staring at the ceiling."

Returning for the World Championships felt like the biggest miracle of his life, Hilbert said with tears in his eyes. "I had lost myself as a human being," he said, speaking about his fight back to life.

Describing the past three years as a period of darkness, Hilbert encouraged people suffering from depression to keep fighting.

"I can tell everyone, it's worthwhile to fight, it's valuable to go through these deep valleys. If I can do it, everyone can do it," he said, visibly moved.

Hilbert sought assistance from mental health experts and valued the constant support of his parents and fiancee, Anna.

"I feel confidence and joy for life having returned. It's still a long way, but I am happy to have made it this far," he said, discussing his next "highlight" - marrying his girlfriend in three weeks at Nimbschen Monastery near Leipzig.

"I felt near death, my head full of suicidal thoughts. To stand here today is unbelievable for me. I am glad, proud and so thankful."

After what German media called his fight back to life, he described an approaching and gradually worsening mental decline.

"You see things slipping out of your hands, you feel helplessly drifting to new low points."

After a turning point in 2024, the athlete faced a difficult journey marked by brief efforts to return to his sport with short training sessions.

He underwent careful preparation including sauna sessions and heat training to acclimate to Tokyo's humidity.

His time of 2 hours, 36 minutes, 47 seconds means the world to him, as he had already secured what he considers his biggest victory in advance.

"My foot is back in the door, and I'm optimistic about covering the rest of the journey," he said.

Hilbert said he has returned to competition and set new goals that currently seem like bold dreams to him, following a series of injuries and the removal of the 50-kilometer race by World Athletics, the sport's governing body. ■