Winter Olympics: Skater Elise Christie taken to hospital after suffering spectacular crash in 1500m semi-final

Team GB medal hopeful Elise Christie has suffered yet more Winter Olympics heartbreak as she suffered a spectacular crash in the 1500m short track speed skating semi-finals, before being taken to hospital as a “precautionary” measure.

The 27-year-old was taken out of the Gangneung Ice Arena on a stretcher following the crash on the final lap, as she made a late burst to finish in the top two and qualify for the final.

She was immediately taken to a local hospital for scans, to determine the extent of her injuries. Christie is due to compete in the 1000m event next week.

GB Chef de Mission Mike Hay said: “She took a heavy fall into the barrier.

“I've spoken to the performance director, Stewart Laing, who is in the ambulance with her on the way to hospital but it's too early to tell - she's going to have scans and we will see exactly what the story is.

“I saw her being carried off and a doctor is also in the ambulance with her but it's too early to tell, we've got to give them a chance to scan and see.

“It's tough but right now it doesn't really matter about the race or whatever, it's really her health we're concerned about and the scan will tell us.”

Christie was in third place when she tangled with China's Li Jinyu. The pair fell to the ice, with Christie crashing heavily into the side padding.

She appeared to suffer a gashed leg and was immediately tended to by medics, before departing the arena on a stretcher.

Any lingering hope of a medal was then dashed as the official race scoreboard showed that she had been penalised for her part in the crash.

The disappointment merely adds to Christie’s Winter Olympic woe.

She has now crashed out of the 1500m and 500m events, leaving the 1000m as her remaining hope of an elusive Olympic medal, providing her injuries do not prevent her from competing.

She was meanwhile disqualified in all three finals in Sochi four years ago.

Christie is ten times a European gold medallist and became the first British and European woman to win gold at the World Championships, but she has never won an Olympic medal.