Italy's Olympic hopeful suffers serious injury

Italy's great freestyle hope Flora Tabanelli suffered a serious injury in training.

06 November 2025

From: dl

Flora Tabanelli, who had been at a training camp in the Stubai Valley in Austria in recent days, fell heavily upon landing after a jump and suffered an unspecified ligament injury in her right knee. The 17-year-old will undergo extensive examinations at the "La Madonnina" clinic in Milan in the coming hours, as announced by the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI). Her brother Miro, three years her senior, is also among the world's best freestyle skiers.

Tabanelli won the overall Big Air World Cup title last year. The young woman from Emilia-Romagna (born in 2007) has already triumphed three times in her career – twice in slopestyle and once in Big Air. In addition, Tabanelli became Big Air World Champion at the end of March in Engadin.

Whether Tabanelli will be able to compete at the home Olympics in February seems highly doubtful. Until a precise diagnosis is available, Italian winter sports fans can at least still hold out hope.