William Morgan
The Olympian left bleeding after last night's horror crash during a speed skating event has posted a picture from their hospital bed after having her face cut open on the ice.
Polish athlete Kamila Sellier was keeping with the main pack during the Women's 1500 meter speed skating quarter final on Friday night when an illegal move from one of her competitors caused the blade of their skate to smash into her face.
The impact of the backwards slice from Team USA Kristen Santos-Griswold's foot took Sellier's glasses clean off her face and sent her flying, along with 14-time Olympic medallist Arianna Fontana, from Italy.
To the horror of those watching in the Milano Ice Skating Arena and those watching at home, it was immediately apparent that this had caused Sellier a serious injury, with officials racing onto the ice with white sheets so that medics could assess her injuries in private.
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She was rushed to the hospital, where she is understood to have undergone surgery and received stitches. But in the cold light of day, after having her Olympic dreams snatched from her, Sellier has put on a brave face.
In a pointed picture on Instagram, the 25-year-old athlete shared a photo of her smiling from her hospital bed. Though, the picture only showed the uninjured side of her face.
The caption on the post, which was written in both Polish and English, said: "I know that one day I’ll look at this picture and remember that I’m stronger than I ever believed.
"Thank you for all your words of support, just wanted to let you know that I’m doing quite okay."
Sellier did not say anything further about the illegal pass that resulted in her injury, or about the medical attention she has received since being rushed off the ice. However, a spokesperson for the Polish skating team did share an update on her condition this morning.
They stated that the athlete 'has a cut on her cheek' and added that this was 'stitched up immediately.'
However, Sellier also suffered a more difficult injury, with the spokesperson stating: "From what I saw, most likely her eyelid is also cut, half of it."
Speaking earlier today, Polish skating boss Konrad Niedźwiedzki said: "There is considerable swelling, so it's hard to say at this point what else happened inside.
"I hope these are only superficial wounds, but we have to wait for the test results from the hospital. … There's a huge, large, not to cause panic, large swelling, so it is possible that this is related to the fact that the zygomatic bones has been damaged or broken."
Meanwhile, 31-year-old Connecticut skater Santos-Griswold has been penalized for her illegal pass during Friday night's race, meaning that she will not progress to the semifinals. The Sun reports that she fought off tears as she was informed of the decision.