British speed skater likely out of Beijing Games as ankle injury hampers progress

Elise Christie has competed in past three Winter Games but is doubtful to qualify for Beijing 2022

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FILE PHOTO: Short Track Speed Skating Events - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's 1000m Competition - Gangneung Ice Arena - Gangneung, South Korea - February 20, 2018. Elise Christie of Britain in action. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Short Track Speed Skating Events - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's 1000m Competition - Gangneung Ice Arena - Gangneung, South Korea - February 20, 2018. Elise Christie of Britain in action. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo

British short track speed skater Elise Christie has competed in the last three Winter Games, but it appears that streak will come to end in two months time.

The 31-year-old has been plagued by an ankle injury, and hasn’t made it past the semi-final stages in any short track discipline. Only the leading point scorer from Great Britain is expected to qualify for Beijing 2022.

Christie posted on social media, “The ankle injury I sustained set me back too far. My heart is shattered. I’ll be back soon.”

She is a three-time speed skating world champion, but the Scot has encountered nothing but disappointment in the Olympics.

Speed Skating - ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships - Arena Armeets, Sofia, Bulgaria - March 9, 2019   Great Britain's Elise Christie in action during the women's 1500m semi final   REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
Speed Skating - ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships - Arena Armeets, Sofia, Bulgaria - March 9, 2019 Great Britain's Elise Christie in action during the women's 1500m semi final REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

Christie first competed at the 2010 Vancouver Games where her best finish was 11th in the 500m. She was 19th in the 1000m and 20th in the 1500m.

In Sochi four years later, she had hopes of winning a medal but was disqualified from all three events, twice for colliding with another skater and once for failing to cross the finish line.

At PyeongChang she set the first Olympic record of the Games during the qualification round of the 500m, but crashed out in the final and finished 4th. She was disqualified from the 1000m and 1500m events, again for colliding with other competitors.