DUBAI: A former Olympic Alpine skier, whose sporting career ended after he was severely injured, has emerged as a fine example of how adversity can be turned into opportunity with the right mindset and effort.
Dubai-based Lebanese expat Karl Dariane, who was born in Saudi Arabia, told Gulf News that he discovered the entrepreneur in him when he was undergoing physical rehabilitation after the injuries – two suffered on the ski slopes and the third in a road accident.
Dariane came to Dubai 14 years ago, after living in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Canada and different parts of Europe.
“Sport runs in my veins—my mom was a skiing champion and rally driver in Lebanon. She put me – I am one of five siblings - on skis when I was just three years old. I began training competitively at 14, which meant I had some catching up to do compared to others who started younger. Once I started training, I fell in love with the adrenaline, intensity, and the butterflies before competitions,” he recalled.
Dariane, who has competed in the Olympic Games, said back in the day, he didn’t have much knowledge about proper strength training and recovery.
“This led to my first injury—a torn meniscus from skiing. As I continued to engage in multiple sports, the strain on my body increased. The situation worsened with a hip injury during one of my last skiing championships, and then a severe car accident that left me with a broken sternum and ribs. This series of setbacks forced me to stop all sports, ultimately leading to the tough decision to retire from competitive skiing,” he noted.
Toughest period
Dariane spoke of how recovery was the longest and toughest period of his life.
“I was used to training daily in winter, playing squash and football multiple times a week. Going from that intense routine to a complete halt was incredibly challenging. Coming back to sports after nearly a year and a half away was equally tough. Mentally, it was a huge shift—from feeling invincible to facing the reality of my limitations. No amount of training can truly prepare you for that kind of blow. It’s like getting hit hard in the gut,” he shared.
The recovery was extremely frustrating. “I was dealing with injuries in my back, neck, shoulders, and knees, and it was more than just not being able to train and compete, but it was because I found it really hard to understand why I kept getting injured and how to prevent it happening. It was clear I needed to learn more about my body, but the specialists I saw weren’t really helping with that,” he claimed.
Dariane then decided to dive deep to get the answers he needed.
“I worked with physiotherapists and osteopaths to learn about traditional physical rehabilitation treatments, bodybuilders to understand muscular engagement, ballerinas to grasp flexibility, and even animal movement specialists to become clearer on strength and mobility,” he recalled.
He said he also trained in Flexology, which focuses on realigning the body through the muscular chain. “On top of that, I explored new technologies and modern therapies to see how they could speed up recovery alongside traditional methods.”
The result was the birth of a his own clinic - FlexoFix – where he strived to put together all the learnings from his recovery journey to help others benefit from them.
Dariane is credited with reimagining physical rehabilitation “by removing the smoke and mirrors from the industry”.
“Physical rehabilitation has to be ultra-personalised,” he believes. “Just providing therapies won’t do therapies. Patients must be empowered with the knowledge and tools to enable them to take charge of their bodies.”
Daraine said, “The learnings that I took from my injuries, as hard as it was, have truly shaped my entrepreneurial endeavors. During my recovery, I learned what it was to be a patient, understand that physical rehabilitation is never really ‘over’, and that even if you have to start back from square one - you can.”
According to him, too many people are walking around with pain thinking that it’s normal. “They tend to think that physical rehabilitation is for elite athletes. but that’s not true. Everyone deserves to understand their body better and prioritise their health, regardless of their age or activity level.”
Dariane said Dubai helped him further his mission in many ways. “I think the most important aspect is the dynamic networking community. It’s an amazing, tightly connected network that is always happy to support one another. I’ve had countless opportunities to learn about different industries and collaborate and partner up with individuals and businesses so we can grow together. That continues to be a huge boost for my journey,” he noted.
The entrepreneur in him feels the business environment in Dubai drives innovation.
“The competitiveness in the market here pushes you to step out of your comfort zone and make the uncomfortable feel comfortable—it’s the only way to stay ahead and meet consumer demand. This environment has given me a tremendous push to reach my full potential which has been great for my creativity and growth,” he said.
“And of course, the quality of life here is outstanding. Being in such a safe country is a blessing, offering the peace of mind I need to focus on what I can do best,” he added.
