Polish speedskater Kamila Sellier hospitalized after terrifying blade injury at Milan Cortina Olympics
Polish short-track speedskater Kamila Sellier was taken to a Milan hospital on Friday night after a rival’s skate blade opened a deep cut to her face during the women’s 1,500-meter quarterfinals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, forcing a long stoppage and shocking fans inside the arena. The 25-year-old crashed in a high-speed tangle with Italy’s multiple Olympic medallist Arianna Fontana and American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold as the pack fought for position entering a turn in the sixth heat. As the trio went down, Santos-Griswold’s blade struck Sellier above the left eye, leaving blood on the ice and bringing the race to an immediate halt.
Medical staff rushed onto the track while officials raised a large screen to shield the scene from the crowd as Sellier received treatment on the ice. She was immobilized on a stretcher, then wheeled out of the Milano Ice Skating Arena and transported to a nearby hospital after receiving stitches at the venue. Polish team officials said the cut was located on her cheek and above the eye, that she was conscious and responsive, and that early assessments suggested her eye itself had not been damaged, though scans were ordered to rule out a possible fracture to the cheekbone.
Konrad Niedźwiedzki, who leads Poland’s Olympic delegation, said Sellier signaled to supporters that she was feeling well enough under the circumstances, waving and gesturing from the stretcher as she left the ice. Coaches and staff later indicated she was in stable condition as doctors evaluated significant swelling around the injured area. The severity of the impact, along with the volume of blood on the ice, underscored the ever-present risk posed by razor-sharp blades in short-track racing at Olympic speeds.
Race officials restarted the 1,500-meter quarterfinal without Sellier or Santos-Griswold after the ice was cleaned and safety checks were completed. Santos-Griswold, 31, received a penalty for an illegal lane pass deemed to have contributed to the collision, ending her Olympic campaign and eliminating any remaining chance to fight for a long-sought medal in the event. Fontana, whose skinsuit was cut during the fall, received on-ice treatment to her left hip before lining up for the restart and recovering to finish second behind Belgium’s Hanne Desmet, securing a place in the semifinals and keeping her medal ambitions alive at these Games.
Officials and athletes have repeatedly highlighted how congested packs, variable ice conditions and marginal passing attempts leave minimal room for error in short-track races at the Olympics. The incident involving Sellier, one of Poland’s leading short-track hopes, added another dramatic chapter to an event already marked by spectacular crashes and razor-thin margins as skaters chase the podium in Milan.
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