A serious crash involving Polish short track skater Kamila Sellier shocked fans during the women’s 1500m quarterfinal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The 25-year-old was taken to the hospital and had to undergo a medical procedure. New updates about her condition have now been released.
During Friday’s quarterfinal, Sellier was skating in third place and staying close to the leaders. On one of the turns, the group became very tight. After a mistake by one of the competitors, several skaters fell, including favorite Arianna Fontana. However, Sellier suffered the most serious injury. She fell on the ice right next to another skater’s blades and was cut by a skate.
The referees immediately stopped the race, and medical teams rushed onto the ice. Sellier’s condition required urgent attention. She was taken off the rink on a stretcher and transported to the hospital. The competition later resumed without her.
Shortly after the accident, Poland’s Olympic team leader Konrad Niedźwiedzki told Radio ZET that Sellier was conscious. She suffered cuts to her eyelid and cheek, and doctors suspected a fracture of her cheekbone.
Later that night, Katarzyna Kochaniak-Roman, spokesperson for the Polish Olympic Committee, informed the media that Sellier underwent a procedure. Doctors reopened the wound to carefully check the condition of the bone after a CT scan showed a small fracture. She remained in the hospital overnight for observation. Kochaniak-Roman said the skater was “very brave,” adding that she was able to get out of bed on her own. Her parents and the national team doctor have been by her side.
On Saturday morning, sports journalist Mateusz Ligęza from Radio ZET shared an update on X, writing that Sellier slept through the night. Doctors are waiting for more test results. The swelling is significant, and they will check the movement of her eye.
Her teammate Natalia Maliszewska, who was also eliminated from the competition, spoke about the incident in an interview with Eurosport. She said Sellier was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. “It was an accident, a total accident, but sadly these things happen,” she explained.
Maliszewska also noted that Sellier had previously suffered facial cuts during her career. She pointed out the dangers of the sport, saying that skaters race at speeds of around 50 km/h on sharp blades. While they wear cut-resistant suits and gloves, parts of their faces remain exposed.