Flora Tabanelli can laugh again. © Social Media

First the Olympic medal, then the operation

Many athletes are preparing for the final races of the season after the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. However, Italy's freestyle star Flora Tabanelli has different plans, having gone straight to the operating table after winning a medal.

March 05, 2026

From: leo

In the shadow of Federica Brignone, Flora Tabanelli wrote one of the most fascinating stories of the Winter Games. The 18-year-old won the bronze medal in Big Air despite competing with a torn cruciate ligament. Just a few days after this success, the damage to her right knee was repaired at the La Madonnina clinic in Milan.

Flashback: As the reigning overall Freestyle World Cup champion, the exceptional talent started the Olympic year as one of Italy's biggest medal hopes. Even before the new season began, Tabanelli suffered a torn cruciate ligament during training in Stubai. Instead of undergoing surgery, the youngster opted for a conservative treatment method to keep her Olympic dream alive. This courageous choice paid off, as Tabanelli won bronze in Big Air after initially withdrawing from the Slopestyle event.

Flora Tabanelli delivered an incredible performance. © Pentaphoto

Tuesday marked the beginning of a new chapter for Tabanelli with his surgery. "There have been difficult moments, but the Olympic medal has compensated me for all the sacrifices. I have achieved my goal and my dream," the teenager wrote on social media. "I am now ready to take on new challenges – knowing it won't be easy, but with the will that anything is possible."

Thanks to my brother

Tabanelli also thanked all the coaches, doctors, support staff, and sponsors, but above all, her family and her brother Miro. Although the 21-year-old didn't win a medal at the Games, his joy at his younger sister's medal was all the greater. "Thanks to you, I will never stop dreaming," Tabanelli concluded.