Christie’s Olympic curse strikes again
PYEONGCHANG Even if she had walked under a ladder, opened an umbrella indoors and then found her path crossed by a black cat, Elise Christie still could not have conjured the infernal ill fortune that has stalked her at the Winter Games.
In the latest ghastly instalment of an Olympic story streaked with tears, this luckless young woman ended her evening not with the catharsis of a first medal but with a visit to hospital.
After a lunge around the final bend, born of desperation to qualify from her short-track semifinal in the 1,500 metres, Christie clipped Chinese rival Li Jinyu and careered into the padded barriers skates-first, badly jarring her right ankle. A scan confirmed that there were no broken bones, but whether she is fit, physically or mentality, for the 1,000 metres on Tuesday is anybody’s guess.
Dr. Richard Hampton, the psychologist assigned to her since her first wipeout over 500 metres, will surely be earning his keep. Watching Christie at these moments has become rather like seeing Wile E. Coyote chase the Road Runner, such is the creeping sense of certainty that she will end up splattered against the nearest immovable object.
Yes, she is a stylish skater, with a world record and 10 European titles to her name, but she competes at the Olympics as if pursued by a flock of ravens.
On Sunday, she remained an athlete accursed.