Friday’s Olympic competitions in short track speed skating were affected by an ugly accident. Several runners collided and fell, and Poland’s Kamila Sellier got a skate in the eye.
The situation arose halfway through the women’s last quarter-final heat of 1500 metres. Three out of six runners went over in a turn, and the heat was broken.
The Italian home hope Arianna Fontana, who is the reigning Olympic champion, was among those who fell. She had to get treatment, but it was worse with Sellier.
When the replay of the fall was shown on the big screen, there was shocked silence in the hall. The pictures showed that the skate of American Kristen Santos-Griswold hit Sellier near the eye, after her goggles fell off.
She bled profusely, and a monitor was set up while she received treatment. She was then carried out.
– Kamila Sellier’s eye has swollen up so that it cannot be opened. The cut to her cheek has been stitched up, and the cheekbone is damaged. She is going to hospital, says Konrad Niedzwidzki of Poland’s Olympic committee to TVP Sport, according to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
According to the Canadian CBC, Sellier’s eye will probably be fine.
Blood had to be wiped from the ice before the heat could be started again. It happened without Sellier and Santos-Griswold. Both were blamed for the fall.
See the accident in the clip at the bottom of the case. NRK warns against strong images.
(NTB/NRK)