A dangerous rule breach in the women’s 1500m short-track speed skating quarterfinal nearly cost an athlete an eye, in what has become one of the most alarming injuries seen at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics to date.
Poland’s Kamilla Sellier was struck after Team USA’s Kristen Santos-Griswold went down during an illegal lane change. As Santos-Griswold fell, her skate kicked outward and the blade cut into Sellier’s face close to her eye.
The illegal move triggered a multi-skater pile-up that also brought down Italy’s Arianna Fontana, the 14-time Olympic medallist, along with Santos-Griswold. Santos-Griswold was later penalized for the infraction, ending her run before the short-track semifinals.
Video from the Milano Ice Skating Arena left many viewers shaken, with the moment of impact clearly visible as Santos-Griswold’s skate made contact near the 25-year-old’s eye and Sellier began bleeding on the ice.
In slowed-down replays, the blade appears to knock Sellier’s glasses off and then slice the skin around her eye almost instantly.
Officials stopped the race after the crash. A white sheet was quickly brought out to give the athletes privacy while medical staff attended to the injury.
Slo-mo version of Kamila Sellier taking a skate blade to the eye at the Olympics.
— AmericanPapaBear™ (@AmericaPapaBear) February 21, 2026
With blood visible around her eye, Sellier gave a thumbs up to the crowd as she was taken away on a stretcher, leaving a noticeable blood trail across the ice.
At home, many spectators reacted with disbelief at how severe the outcome of the illegal pass could have been, with some noting how close Sellier came to being blinded.
One stunned viewer remarked on X: “Man, this Kamila Sellier crash was straight up terrifying to watch. Short track speed skating is already insane with those razor sharp blades flying at 40+ km/h in tight packs, but seeing a blade slice right across her face like that…”
Selliers was transported to hospital right away and underwent emergency surgery.
By Saturday morning in Milan, a spokesperson for Poland’s Olympic team said the operation had been completed and that the skater was recovering.
They said: “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.”
The spokesperson added that early indications suggested her eye had not been seriously harmed, though she required stitches for facial cuts sustained in the collision.
“She has a cut on her cheek, which was stitched up immediately. From what I saw, most likely her eyelid is also cut, half of it.”
Polish speed skating chief Konrad Niedźwiedzki told local media there was also worry the impact may have affected Sellier’s zygomatic bone, and he offered more detail on what doctors were monitoring.
He said: “She has a cut on her cheek, which was stitched up immediately. From what I saw, most likely her eyelid is also cut, half of it.”
As Sellier remained under review, Niedźwiedzki explained that swelling made it difficult to determine the full extent of the damage immediately after surgery.
With doctors reviewing her condition this morning, Niedźwiedzki added: “There is considerable swelling, so it’s hard to say at this point what else happened inside.
“I hope these are only superficial wounds, but we have to wait for the test results from the hospital. … There’s a huge, large, not to cause panic, large swelling, so it is possible that this is related to the fact that the zygomatic bones has been damaged or broken.”