Winter Olympics: Elise Christie crashes out again as Izzy Atkin wins slopestyle bronze

Short-track speed skater Elise Christie was reduced to tears on the ice for the second time at the Winter Olympics after she crashed out of the 1500m semi-final on Saturday (17 February).

The current 1500m world champion looked set to qualify for the final in Pyeongchang but ended up in a distraught heap once again after tangling with second-placed China's Li Jinyu on the final lap. Both Christie and Canada's Valerie Maltais were penalised for their roles in the rather spectacular crash by race officials, ending any medal hopes in the process. South Korea's Choi Ming-jeong eventually glided to gold in the final, the 19-year-old showing a blistering turn of pace her adversaries could not live with.

Christie is currently scheduled to compete in the 1000m heats, her favoured distance, on Tuesday but her involvement is now in serious doubt due to the severity of the crash, which left those watching on in the Gangneung Ice Arena stunned into silence.

The 27-year-old, who seemed to suffer a cut on her leg after coming into contact with Jinyu's blade, had to be stretchered off the ice and will undergo scans in hospital. Jinyu, knocked off balance by Christie as she strived to get into the top two, was able to get back to her feet relatively quickly.

Team GB Chef de Misson Mike Hay offered his thoughts on the stricken skater and insists his primary concern is the health of Christie, not medals: "I was in the stands, she's taken a heavy fall, she's in ambulance on the way to hospital. At this moment we don't know what's happened but she's going for scans." he told BBC Sport.

"I'm not bothered by medals, I'm bothered by Elise right now, hopefully nothing's broken but it looked a heavy fall to me."

Christie's rotten luck comes as another cruel blow to Team GB, but there was some success for them to savour on day eight in Pyeongchang. Izzy Atkin, the youngest member of the British contingent at just 19, became the first British skier to win a medal at the Olympics as she won bronze in the ladies' ski slopestyle.

Atkins was in fourth heading into her final run but managed to pull out all the stops to snatch a third, an achievement she could scarcely believe.