Winning a World Championship medal wasn’t enough for the 25-year-old Kamila Sellier. Not satisfied with standing on top of the world, the Polish athlete was more determined than ever to chase Olympic gold. But just as she set her sights on the biggest stage, life threw her an unexpected challenge that brought her Olympic dream to a sudden halt.

“I know that one day i’ll look at this picture and remember that i’m stronger than i ever believed. thank you for all your words of support, just wanted to let you know that i’m doing quite okay 🫣 #thankyou,” said Sellier in her recent Instagram update. 

This was surely a relief for all of her fans following her brutal accident on the ice. Playing in the quarterfinals of the women’s 1500m of the short track competition, Sellier suffered a crash. Not only did she tumble onto the ice, but one of her fellow skater’s blades struck her right on the face. 

Following the incident, the USA’s Kristen Santos-Griswold received a penalty. She was found guilty of attempting an illegal pass, which contributed to the horrific crash. Incidentally, it was Santos-Griswold’s blades that nicked Sellier beneath her left eye. 

The medical team rushed to attend to the Polish athlete. As the authorities halted the race momentarily, the Milano Ice Skating Arena waited with agonizing tension to know about the whereabouts of the fallen athlete. A white sheet obscuring the fans’ view, Sellier was given first aid and other preliminary treatments.

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Thankfully, much to the delight of the fans, the 25-year-old star lifted up her hands to show a thumbs-up for the crowd. Officials later revealed that the athlete was subjected to more than one stitch at the arena itself before she was admitted to the hospital. 

Another representative from the Polish team briefed about her surgery in an interview with the BBC, saying, “Kamila had surgery last night. She’s in good condition. We’re waiting for further tests today, to check her eye for any signs of damage.”

Meanwhile, as Sellier took most of the hit, she was not alone. Her fellow competitor, Arianna Fontana from Italy, too, suffered quite a scare.

How Arianna Fontana overcame crash to achieve historic feat in Milan Winter Olympics

Alongside Sellier, Italian speed-skater Arianna Fontana, too, faced a major setback because of a significant crash. It all happened during the women’s 1,500m short track quarter-finals on Friday, February 20, 2026, at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium within the Fiera Milano exhibition center. The multi-skater fall occurred when Poland’s Kamila Sellier lost her balance and took down Fontana and American Kristen Santos-Griswold.

During the sixth heat of the 1,500m quarter-finals, that collision made Sellier suffer from a severe facial injury from a skate blade. Following the crash, Fontana’s skinsuit was nicked, and she required assistance from her physiotherapist for her left hip. However, Fontana somehow managed to pull herself up and return to the competition.

Despite the fall, Fontana continued to participate in the race restart. She finished second to qualify for the semi-finals. Following that, she eventually finished 5th in the 1,500m final. 

But that was not all. She won gold in the Mixed 2000-metre relay in short-track speed skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Adding to that, she bagged two silver medals in the 500m race and the 3000m relay, respectively. Despite facing a major setback, she managed to conclude her home Games in Milan-Cortina as the most decorated Italian Olympian of all time with a career total of 14 medals.

Short-track speed skating has seen repeated blade-cut injuries due to high speeds and close proximity, such as potential cases involving skaters like Wang Meng (China, 2010) or others in World Championships, emphasizing the need for enhanced protective gear.

In a strikingly similar incident from short-track speed skating history, Australian skater Anna Nakonechnyy suffered a severe facial laceration from a competitor’s skate blade during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Competing in the women’s 1000m quarterfinals, Nakonechnyy fell and was cut deeply near her eye, requiring stitches and forcing her withdrawal from further events, mirroring the competition-altering trauma experienced by Kamila Sellier.