Despair Christie vows to try again in four years after yet more Olympic heartbreak
Skater disqualified yet again in 1,000m drama Goal is now 2022 after sixth Games heartache
As has become customary after one of her expulsions from an Olympic race, Elise Christie paused mid-sentence, struggling to speak. Only this time emotion was not to blame. “I’m not crying, I’m just coughing,” she explained. Her eyes were moist, but there were no more tears to shed.
A brief history of Christie at the two most recent Olympics reads like the old rhyme about the fate of Henry VIII’S wives, only signifi- cantly simpler: disqualified, disqualified, disqualified, fell, disqualified, disqualified.
Just how much sporting calamity one person can take must become a genuine concern after the latest mishap here yesterday. In the space of one race, Christie packed in almost every possible eventuality as she heroically overcame injury only to have her hopes brutally, but inevitably, dashed by the referees.
Unlike in Sochi four years ago, or here in South Korea only last week when she crashed out of the 500metres final, this time Christie did not cry. Hobbling along on her injured right ankle, she forced herself to be resolute – this Olympic hex would not break her.
“I can promise Britain I’ll fight back from this,” she said, confirming her plans to target the 2022 Beijing Olympics. “Sochi destroyed me. There was a lot of online abuse and I have no comment for people that abuse online – I’m a world champion, get over it.
“I just see it as three races that went rubbish in the last four years. Unfortunately, all three of them were here. It’s not because it’s an Olympics, but that’s short track and that’s the way it goes sometimes.
“I can’t let this define me. I can’t even count on two hands how many gold medals I’ve won since Sochi and I’m the [500m] world record holder. I’m going to get myself so strong that I’ll get out in front and get away from everyone and that’ll be the focus. I’ll be back in Beijing.”
Dubbed “the Barbie of speed skating” due to her bright blonde hair and fake eyelashes, Christie seems unwittingly to divide the nation with every episode that afflicts her. To a significant number, she remains an idol befitting of her triple world champion status, fighting against adversity. Yet to others, yesterday’s disqualification only confirmed their unsympathetic perception of Christie as the serial loser, forever destined to fail.
Somehow she managed to prove both parties correct. Rated at 80-90 per cent fit after her ankle injury sustained when crashing out of the 1500m semi-finals – in a move that caused her disqualification – Christie made the decision to compete in the 1,000m heats during her warmup an hour before the race.
Her involvement looked to have finished almost before it began when she clipped blades with Hungary’s Andrea Keszler at the opening bend and was left grimacing in pain, lying prostrate up against the padded barrier. By the time she hauled herself to her feet, it was apparent her ankle had ceased to be weight-bearing and, thus, all pre-race tactics were forgotten for the restart.
Instantly conceding five metres through an inability to push off the start line, she was cheered with every lap as she made ground on her rivals, before somehow managing to cross the line in second place to secure the unlikeliest of qualifications. But at the same time, as she was carried off the
track in
the arms of Nicky Gooch, her coach, the referees ruled she had been guilty of not one, but two infringements, resulting in a yellow card and disqualification. Her final chance of these Games had gone.
“It’s been such a tough two days to turn this around with ligament damage,” she said. “My ankle has doubled in size so getting into my skate was hard. [After the first-bend crash] I thought, ‘I’ll go off slower, catch up and just qualify’. I did that. I don’t know what the yellow card was for. I felt like it was a normal race. It sucks, but that’s it now.”
For Britain’s short-track speedskating involvement at these Olympics, that is indeed the end and the fallout now begins. As Christie begins proper treatment on an injury she admits would normally have kept her off the ice for six weeks, it will be left to others to discuss the financial implications of failure.
The British team were expected to win a minimum of one and maximum of two medals – a burden that sat solely on Christie’s shoulders – and on such targets rested their £4.76million UK Sport funding.
Whether that is reduced for the next Olympic cycle may depend on Christie’s future involvement, having previously hinted at a move to track cycling. Those plans are likely to be forgotten now with her committal to stick with short track through to Beijing. That would be her fourth Olympics – about time this curse came to an end.