Olympic season over: Cross-country skier Flora Dolci suffers spinal fracture in paragliding accident

French cross-country skier Flora Dolci has been seriously injured in a paragliding accident on her 26th birthday and will miss the upcoming Olympic winter.

According to the French team doctor Thibault Barbe, Dolci suffered a lumbar vertebra fracture. After surgery in Grenoble, doctors initially feared possible neurological consequences, but she avoided permanent damage. “She is doing well and can walk. We estimate it will take six months for her to reach 100 percent of her performance level,” Barbe told L’Equipe.

Dolci was France’s best woman in last season’s World Cup overall standings (27th) and took a career-best sixth place in the 20 km freestyle in the Engadin. At the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, she finished in the top ten in the 50 km freestyle.

The injury timetable means Dolci will be sidelined for the entire Olympic season, though the prognosis is positive for a full recovery over time.