The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Christie’s bid for medal ends in tears
Scot in tears after bid for first Olympic medal ends in huge disappointment
Elise Christie’s Olympic agony continued at the Gangneung Ice Arena yesterday as she crashed out on the penultimate lap of the 500m short track speed skating final.
Four years after her triple disqualification nightmare in Sochi, the 27-year-old Scot could not hold in her emotions after sliding out during a brave attempt to edge into bronze medal position.
Tearful Christie, who finished fourth, said: “I’ve worked so hard for that moment out there and I got knocked over.
“It’s so out of control but that almost feels worse.”
No one likes to write the same story but as GB speed skater Elise Christie was sent flailing across the ice it was all just a bit eerily familiar.
There’s no filter with Scot Christie. What you see, is what you get and what we got yesterday was tears and raw emotion.
No hugs could console, no words could encourage. She was just utterly bereft and devastated at her misfortune – again.
Christie had looked imperious during the heats, twice setting new Olympic records in the 500m event in which she holds the world record.
But she finished second in her semi-final and that meant a wide draw for the final, putting further pressure on her start – which she admits is her weakest attribute.
Anything can and does happen in short track, as skaters career in diminishing circles around a tight track at 30mph.
Thrills and spills are as guaranteed as, it seems, are Christie’s tears after her fourth place finish.
“I was knocked over, I didn’t fall on my own and it sucks,” she said.
“It’s just tough, I’ve worked so hard for this and it has been taken away from me.
“Right now I can’t see living with this feeling. It is short track and I’m supposed to be prepared for this but it hurts.
“Hopefully I can come back again. I can reset. It’s almost a week until my best distance but I ended up with fourth place and that’s pretty tough to deal with right now. So many little things conspired against me. I got bumped in my semi-final and because it wasn’t that quick, I started from lane four
“I’m not the fastest starter, so I knew the likelihood of winning gold was pretty slim at that point.”
In the end Korean Choi Min-jeong was disqualified, to the boos of home fans, while Italy’s Arianna Fontana took gold ahead of Dutch skater Yara van Kerkhof and Boutin.
Christie, who used to train in Dundee, will now have three days to reset her focus on the 1,500m this weekend, one of her world title distances from last year. But it’s not until next Thursday that she races in the 1,000m – her main event.
But Christie is not the same athlete as four years ago, when she suffered almost the same misfortune in Sochi.
She fell in two events and was disqualified in another at those Games but has since won 11 of her 12 global medals, including those three world golds 12 months ago.
And former Olympic stars were queuing up to back her to recover, including skier Chemmy Alcott and skeleton slider Amy Williams, an Olympic gold medallist in 2010 as well as Team GB chef de mission Mike Hay.
“Anytime when it’s the aftermath of a race, especially when it’s an Olympic final, you’re not going to feel great,” he said.
“However, she is a different athlete to four years ago and she’s got great support staff around her.”
Watch Elise is action next on Eurosport 1 at 10am this Saturday. Go to eurosport. co.uk