German backstroke specialist Felix Wolf has revealed he’s been stricken with Epstein-Barr, the virus which causes mononucleosis. Per his social media account, Wolf has spent several days in the hospital, but has been released, leaving his immediate future uncertain.
26-year-old Wolf recently represented his nation of Germany at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea, where his highest finish was that of 9th in the men’s 100m backstroke. Wolf was the German National Champion in the 100m backstroke in 2013 and finished 27th at that year’s World Championships in Barcelona. Wolf still holds Germany’s 200m backstroke (short course) National Record.
More locally, Wolf represents the Fachhochschule Der Polizei Des Landes Brandenburg (Brandenburg Police Academy) team, as well as Potsdamer SV, the squad which won the German Team Nationals last year. That same competition is slated to take place in early February, but the show will have to go on without the help of Wolf.
When mononucleosis is involved, symptoms, which can take up to 4-6 weeks from point of infection to appear, can include fatigue, fever, lack of appetite, sore throat and weakness. And, although some patients feel better at the 2-4 week mark, fatigue has been known to stick around much longer, making the infected persons continue to feel tired even months later.
Below is Wolf’s Facebook post (in German), which questions what his future plans will be, but stresses he will be focusing on getting back to 100% health again quickly. “Because without health, there is nothing…,” says Wolf.
Hallo Leute, erstmal muss ich mich entschuldigen, dass ich mich so lange nicht gemeldet habe. Wie ihr sehen könnt,…
Posted by Felix Wolf – Schwimmer on Monday, January 25, 2016