Polish short track skater Kamila Sellier says that she is “doing okay” after suffering a bad cut to her face in a crash on Friday.
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 collision. That kept Santos-Griswold from advancing through the quarter-final round.
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The Polish skater needed lengthy treatment before she was taken away on a stretcher from the Milano Ice Skating Arena. A white sheet was held up when she was being treated on the ice to prevent the crowd from seeing the extent of her injury. 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.
“I know that one day I’ll look at this picture and remember that I’m stronger than I ever believed,” the 25-year-old posted on Instagram on Saturday. “Thank you for all your words of support, just wanted to let you know that I’m doing quite okay.”
In the photo accompanying the post she appeared to be in a hospital bed. The photo crops out the right side of her face, where she received the injury.
“Kamila had surgery last night. She’s in good condition. We’re waiting for further tests today, to check her eye for any signs of damage,” a Polish team spokerperson told BBC Sport on Saturday.
South Korea’s Kim Gil-li won the gold in the final, with Fontana finishing fifth and missing out on the chance to equal a Winter Olympics record for career medals.
