Graphic Moment: Close-up footage captured a Polish speed skater being carried off the Olympic track after a rival’s blade slashed just below her eye

Kamila Sellier was competing in the women’s 1500-meter quarterfinal in short track speedskating when she and her competitors crashed, sending skates flying

Injured Kamila Sellier-Stormowska of Poland receives medical attention after competing on the Short Track Speed Skating Women's 1500m Quarterfinals on day fourteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

Kamila Sellier after getting cut by a skate during the 2026 Winter Olympics.Credit : Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty

Polish speedskater Kamila Sellier had to be stretchered off the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics after a crash caused an opponent to inadvertently cut her right beneath her eye.

Sellier, 25, was competing in the women’s 1500-meter quarterfinal in short track speedskating on Friday, Feb. 20 when she and two competitors — Italy’s Ariana Fontana and American Kristen Santos-Griswold — went down, due in part to an illegal lane pass from Santos-Griswold.

The Polish skater fell to the ice, bleeding severely, as medical staff ran out to help. They held up a white sheet to block her from the crowds as they loaded her into a stretcher, with Sellier giving a thumbs up as she left the Milan arena. The event was paused for several minutes as ice crews worked to clean up her blood on the ice.

Courtney Sarault of Canada and crash Kamila Sellier-Stormowska of Poland and Arianna Fontana of Italy and Kristen Santos-Griswold of United States of America competing on the Short Track Speed Skating Women's 1500m Quarterfinals on day fourteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

Kamila Sellier (second from right) is cut by a competitor’s blade.Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty

Sellier was taken to the hospital for tests, but her eye is okay, Polish officials said, according to the Associated Press.

crash and injured Kamila Sellier-Stormowska of Poland receives medical attention after competing on the Short Track Speed Skating Women's 1500m Quarterfinals on day fourteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Speed Skating Stadium on February 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

Kamila Sellier is stretchered off the ice.Henk Jan Dijks/Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty

In the aftermath of the crash, Santos-Griswold was disqualified for her lane pass and did not make the finals. Fontana, meanwhile, had nicks on her speed suit but continued racing, finishing second in the quarterfinal and in the semifinal.

Fontana, a 14-time Olympic medalist, ended up finishing fifth in the final. American Corinne Stoddard took bronze, while South Korea’s Gilli Kim and Minjeong Choi won gold and silver, respectively.

Several competitors complained of soft ice that caused problems with racing, including the Netherland’s Suzanne Schulting, who did not make it past the semifinals.

“The ice was breaking away,” she said. “You saw it when the other girls, they fell too.”