It was a terrifying moment on the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
During the sixth quarterfinal heat of the women’s 1500-meter short track speedskating event, Polish skater Kamila Sellier was left bloodied after a brutal crash that stopped the race cold.
As the pack rounded the track, Sellier became tangled up with American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold and Italy’s Arianna Fontana. In the chaos, a skate blade struck Sellier in the face, cutting her just under her left eye.
The 25-year-old fell hard and slid into the corner of the rink, where she lay holding her head as blood pooled on the ice.
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Officials immediately halted the race with 13 laps still remaining. Medical teams rushed onto the track while arena staff worked quickly to clean the ice before competition could resume.
In a moment that brought relief to the crowd, Sellier gave a thumbs-up as she was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and taken off the ice.
Polish team officials later confirmed she received stitches and was transported to a hospital for further evaluation. Fortunately, they said her eye was not seriously damaged.
Fontana, a decorated Italian skater with 15 Olympic medals to her name, also required treatment during the stoppage after injuring her left hip. She was able to continue and finished second in the heat behind Belgium’s Hanne Desmet.
Neither Sellier nor Santos-Griswold returned to complete the race. Santos-Griswold was later penalized for an illegal lane pass that officials determined contributed to the collision.
What started as a fast-paced Olympic quarterfinal quickly turned into one of the most shocking and bloody moments of the Games — a stark reminder of just how dangerous short track speedskating can be.
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