It can take an entire lifetime to have a shot at Olympic gold, and only a few moments to dash those hopes. That’s exactly what happened last week for a French skier who was forced to withdraw from the upcoming Winter Olympics after breaking her back in a paragliding accident.
French cross-country skier Flora Dolci had high hopes for February’s Olympic Games in Milan Cortina, Italy, as a top member of the French team. This would have been her second Olympic appearance, having placed 24 in the Women’s 30km Mass Start Free and 12 in the Women’s 4 x 5km Relay in Beijing.
However, those hopes were dashed after she went paragliding for her 26th birthday on October 9. According to L’Equipe, she suffered a serious accident that left her with a fractured lumbar vertebra.
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Dolci was taken to a hospital in Grenoble, France, where she underwent surgery the following day. The six-month recovery period means she will be unable to compete in February.
“There was a risk of neurological after-effects,” said French cross-country skiing team doctor Thibault Barbe. “She’s fine, she’s walking. In view of the surgery, we estimate that it will take six months for her to return to 100 percent of her full potential.”
Dolci’s coach, Alexandre Pouye, added: “We’re torn between relief that it wasn’t more serious and sadness for everything we’d put into the Olympic project.”