“How lucky I was”
Ski ace operated: eight screws in the back
October 20, 2025 – 4:49 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Cross-country skier Flora Dolci recently suffered a fractured lumbar vertebra. Now she reported after her operation.
She is at home in the snow, but cross-country skier Flora Dolci will not take part in the upcoming Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The 26-year-old recently had an accident while paragliding and fractured her lumbar vertebra. She has now undergone surgery and gave an update on her health.
On Instagram she shared photos of herself from the hospital and also a snapshot of her new scar on her back. It can be seen that the athlete had to receive more than 30 stitches on her back.
Dolci wrote about the recordings: “The operation went well. Now it’s time to accept. The eight screws and rods in my back. My new mobility.”
Then she added: “To accept the progress, but also sometimes the difficulties. To accept my cast, whose job it is to heal all my little fractures and other ailments whose names I haven’t remembered.”
But Dolci also emphasized: “In the hospital I saw terrible things and I became even more aware of how lucky I was. In this accident, but also in life.” She wants to draw strength from the small successes and continue to enjoy life, because it is too short to fill it with negative thoughts. The last photo was of her smiling at home while the sun shone in the background.
In terms of sport, things went well for Dolci last season: she was the best Frenchwoman in 27th place in the overall World Cup. She achieved her best result with sixth place in the 20 kilometer freestyle race in the Engadin. At the World Championships in Trondheim she ran in the top ten in the 50 kilometer freestyle.