Cross-country skiing: Flora Dolci takes to the track at the Worlds
The last time Flora Dolci raced a skiathlon in Trondheim (Norway), it wasn’t the Worlds. It was 16 December 2023, and the Frenchwoman had finished 20th. Since then, she has worked. A lot of work, which has enabled her to become more consistent. Last winter, she had a few high points. This season, she has taken up residence at the top of the rankings. In itself, that’s great, but I find it hard to say that it’s great, because there are fewer races with a bit of a festival feel, apart from the Engadine, where I finished 6th. I was even up for 3rd.
Less of a spark, then, but a well-maintained fire that warms you up. ” I’m in the top 15 overall for the distance, so that’s extraordinary, I never thought I’d be able to do it,” she added in a statement from the FFS.
In the last skiathlon, held on 8 December, she came 15th. In Trondheim, the course is very different. “It’s a nice track, quite demanding, with quite fast descents, so it’s great. There will be some good moving speeds, and there’s a good gradient in total,” describes Flora Dolci.
It’s enough to make her want to give it her all, or more precisely, the desire to give it her all, as will also be the case in the 50km race. “So the word ‘ambition’ scares me a bit, I admit, to be really transparent and honest. What I love about skiing is really pushing yourself, putting yourself on the line, arriving with your lungs burning and really saying to yourself ‘I couldn’t have done more’”, admits the young woman. And she continues: “After that, we’ll see what the results are”. As if it were only a consequence and not an end in itself.
Today, there will be plenty of people there to watch her ski and work out. A huge crowd. On Saturday, there were 24,000 enthusiastic spectators in the stadium and thousands along the course.
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