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Short-track speed skater Kamila Sellier of Poland was immobilized on a stretcher and wheeled out of the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday night after a competitor’s blade sliced her above her left eye during the women’s 1500m at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Sellier went down along with 14-time Olympic medalist Arianna Fontana of Italy and American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold, who was penalized for an illegal lane pass that contributed to the accident. That kept Santos-Griswold from advancing through the quarter-final round.
The race was paused while Sellier received attention, a large white sheet blocking her from the crowd that was packed into the arena to see the final night of short-track speedskating. She eventually gave a thumbs up to the crowd as she was taken away, leaving a trail of blood in the final corner of the track that workers had to clean up during the break.
Polish officials said Sellier’s eye was OK. She received stitches at the arena before going to the hospital for more tests.
Fontana’s skinsuit was nicked up and she received some help from her physiotherapist on her left hip during the pause. She wound up finishing second to Hanne Desmet of Belgium, sending her through to the semi-final round.
She later advanced into the finals, narrowly edging Zhang Chutong at the finishing line.
Fontana, the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 1500m, was trying to move into a tie with Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen as the most decorated Winter Olympian. Fontana won gold in the 2000m mixed relay and silver in the 500m and 3000m relay earlier in the Milano Cortina Games.
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