British speed skater Elise Christie injured in ugly Olympic crash
GANGNEUNG, South Korea – Short-track speed skater Elise Christie was taken in a stretcher off the ice following a spectacular wipeout in Saturday night’s women’s 1,500-meter event at Gangneung Ice Arena.
Christie clashed with China’s Li Yinyu in the second semifinal and was sent hurtling into the padded boards, crashing at a furious pace and immediately screaming in pain.
Li’s skate appeared to slash the bottom of Christie’s leg, and the British athlete’s ankle appeared to be wrapped in a towel as she was removed and taken backstage for medical attention.
To add insult to possible injury, Christie, the world-record holder in the 500 meters, was penalized for the contact and excluded from the race, while Li advanced to the final.
MORE: No one expected Ester Ledecka to win the Super-G. Not even her
MORE: Lindsey Vonn receives hate-tweets after not medaling in Super-G