A frightening incident unfolded on the speedskating track during the women’s 1500-meter event.
In the sixth quarterfinal, Polish skater Kamila Sellier was forced to withdraw after sustaining a facial injury in a bloody collision.
Sellier suffered a cut beneath her left eye after falling when American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold’s blade caught her, following a tangle with Italy’s Arian Fontana.
Polish speedskater Kamila Sellier fell during the women’s 1,500 meters short track speedskating quarterfinal, leaving the ice in a dramatic scene.
The 25-year-old lay in the corner, cradling her head over a pool of blood, prompting a several-minute delay with 13 laps remaining as medics attended to her and attendants cleared the ice.
Sellier gave the crowd a reassuring thumbs-up as she was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Polish officials confirmed she received stitches before heading to the hospital and that her eye was unharmed.
Italy’s 15-time Olympic medalist Arian Fontana also received treatment on her left hip from her physiotherapist during the stoppage but managed to finish second in the heat behind Belgium’s Hanne Desmet.
Polish speedskater Kamila Sellier fell during the women’s 1,500 meters short track speedskating quarterfinal.
Neither Sellier nor American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold returned to finish the race, with Santos-Griswold receiving a penalty for an illegal lane pass that played a role in the collision.
