Céline Derouallière - Falls, injuries and podiums: my path to resilience

Getting up, adapting, shining: my sporting adventure continues!

Hello everyone,

It's time to tell you the rest of my story...

Following my first World Cup start in 2019, I gained confidence in myself and my goals, but everything changed when I suffered a knee injury at the end of the season at the French championships. That year, I had made several European podiums, a top 5 in my first World Cup and podiums in all the French championship disciplines. However, in life and in sport, everything can change for the better or worse. That day, it was slalom, and despite my medal, the pain and injury made me sad and disappointed. I had a partial rupture of the medial ligament in my knee. The reason I mention it is that injury is part and parcel of top-level sport, where you give 100% all year round between training sessions and competitions, and sometimes the body has its limits. This injury cost me over a year because I wanted to get back into the sport too soon and the pain dragged on, but it also enabled me to discover another facet of sport: resilience.

Rising to aim higher

Today, this injury and those that followed are part of me, but they are also part of the person I have become. I was at my lowest ebb and I was able to get myself back on track thanks to my entourage and the good people around me. For me, it was my family and my personal coaches who helped me pick myself up and get back to the highest level. You're aware of the risks, but there's something inside you that pushes you to fight and keep on living your dream and aiming ever higher. So I was able to put a smile back on my face when I was back on an international podium in 2021, after a succession of injuries and the COVID year.

This year, 2021, has been an upheaval for me, as I've entered the MEEF master's program in Chambéry, with no possible accommodation, and I've had to find a new physical trainer, a mental trainer and a new prosthesis. I also decided to resume my passion for horse riding and remain loyal to my original ski club, GUC Grenoble ski. Pleasure, adaptation and acceptance of change have regulated my life over the last few years. I returned to the U23 team and the international circuit until I obtained my World Cup points in slalom and giant in 2023, and began a double career with para-dressage, where I finished^1st in the Isère circuit in club 1 imposed grade v in the 2023-2024 season.

What's more, in 2022, I was challenged to make tutorials on my life with 1 arm and for 1 year, I posted a video of my daily routine every week, such as cracking an egg, doing my hair, folding my laundry... At first, I felt a little ridiculous, but in the end, when I saw that other people were like me and that this could help or reassure certain children or parents, I began to appreciate it and it helped me evolve. I became aware of the positive aspects of my adaptations and of sharing them on the networks. It even made me more accepting of my disability in the face of the gaze of others, which isn't always easy.

Well, I'll get back to my competitions and get back to you soon with the rest of my adventures...