Last autumn, one of France’s leading cross-country skiers was involved in a serious paragliding accident.

Since then, Flora Dolci has resumed training, although she is still limited in what she can do. In an interview with ProXCskiing, she reflects on what could have marked the end of her career.

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, on her 26th birthday, Flora Dolci suffered a terrible paragliding crash: the medical consequences were severe for the young cross-country skier:

“I suffered a fairly severe vertebral fracture when a piece of the vertebral body broke off and severed a small portion of the spinal cord at its lower end. So, at first, I couldn’t feel my legs at all, but the sensation eventually returned. I lost the sense of touch, for example, in my calves and shins. It’s coming back little by little, but I also tore some cartilage in my left ankle, and that’s what’s bothering me the most right now.”

The care she received will have changed her perception of movement:

“I have five vertebrae fused together, so I can’t move my pelvis the way I used to. But I’m learning to move differently now. Normally, after a year, they’ll remove some of the hardware,” she said.

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Even though the surgery might have frightened many elite athletes, Flora Dolci remains optimistic:

“I’ll never have the back I had before, but I should still regain some mobility. I’m hoping that will happen by next April.”

For the French cross-country skier, the road to recovery has been long and fraught with doubt:

“Honestly, it was still really complicated. I was really anxious because, well, my pelvis and vertebrae are fused. I can’t move my hips like I used to, so yes, I was very, very anxious when I was in the hospital. I watched a lot of skiing videos to try to picture what it would be like. Since I couldn’t move my pelvis anymore, yeah, I was really scared,” she said and added:

“At first, it was really hard; everything was really, really painful. Actually, they removed all the lumbar muscles so they could attach the hardware. So at first, I didn’t have any muscles attached to my spine.”

After having serious doubts about her ability to ski again, Flora Dolci explains that, following a lot of physical rehabilitation work, she was able to gradually get back into it, though it wasn’t easy:

“At first, getting back into cross-country skiing was a real nightmare, but little by little, by staying hopeful and thanks to the rehab center, I got back on track. I rebuilt my back muscles, and after that, I was able to ski pretty well again. My foot was still a little sore, but it felt so good to be skiing again; it was incredible!” she explains.

When we asked her if her accident had changed her view of sports, she answered “yes” without hesitation:

“Yeah, quite a lot, actually. It’s mostly my experience at the hospital, seeing so many sick people. I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, actually, there are things that are much more important in life.’ It’s amazing to give it your all for sports, but there’s also your health. That’s really the most essential thing, and sometimes we get all worked up over skiing, feeling stressed, angry, or sad. But the truth is, when you’re at the hospital, it doesn’t matter if you’re not good at cross-country skiing as long as you have both your legs to run and walk, to be outside, to spend time with your family. That’s really what’s essential, so yes, in terms of sports, it really put things into perspective for me,” she said.

Even though Dolci missed the Olympics, she has learned to put things into perspective:

“I missed the Olympics; it was very, very hard, I won’t deny it, but to be honest, now that they’re over, my life actually goes on. That’s life; it goes on no matter what. That’s the kind of philosophy I’ve come to have.”

Also Read: Badly injured in a paragliding accident – Olympic dream shattered

Early this summer, Flora Dolci made her return to the French national team, and here’s how she handled her comeback:

“I’m handling it well, but I also have quite a few doubts. Actually, I’ve lost all my bearings; I didn’t train for two months this winter, and my body has changed. For example, when it comes to threshold training, I don’t know what my level is, and I don’t know my level in PMA either. And I also really need the girls to get my feel for the skis back, the rhythm and all that, so being with them helps me a lot. I compare myself a bit and try to gauge where I stand, something you’re not supposed to do too much… I was really happy to rejoin the group, but I was also really afraid of finding out that I was way behind. That didn’t happen, so I’m glad. In skating, things aren’t going too badly. As for classic style, I’ll have to start working on it again, but it’s okay; I’ve been reassured about quite a few things.”

Even though she’s in pretty good shape, she explains that there’s still work to be done before she can reach her full potential:

“I still have a lot, a lot of work ahead of me, and a lot of feel to get back, so we’ll see how it goes from here. But in any case, I’m super happy to be back with the girls; this group is awesome.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Flora Dolci shares her goals with us, while also setting certain conditions for them, particularly for the World Championships in Falun:

“My goal is to make it back to the World Cup. I took a break right when I was just a few seconds away from my first podium finish, and honestly, I’d really like to achieve that goal I set for myself before the accident. To be honest, I have no idea where my level stands right now, so we’ll see. I’m taking it one step at a time. Normally, I’ll be in Ruka if everything goes well and if the coaches think I’m ready. If I can go to Ruka, we’ll see how it goes, but my biggest dream would be to go to Falun for the 50km race. But as I’ve said before, there are things in life that are much more important than skiing,” she explains.

To wrap up this interview, the young French cross-country skier adds:

“You just have to know how to enjoy life and appreciate how lucky you are to be in good health; that’s truly very, very precious.”

Read More: French cross-country skiing teams for season 2026/2027

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