Winter Olympics: Why was Elise Christie THROWN OUT of the speed skating?

Christie was disqualified from all three of her events in the 2014 Games in Sochi and says she is “shell-shocked” after her bad luck continued to Pyeongchang.

Christie’s Olympic nightmare, which started in Sochi four years ago with three disqualifications, has continued in South Korea with a fall having also ended her medal hopes in the 500m final last week.

Her involvement looked to have finished nearly before it begun when she clipped blades with Hungary’s Andrea Keszler at the opening bend and was left grimacing in pain, lying prostrate up against the padded barrier.

But instead Christie, who was carried away from the track by head coach Nicky Gooch, was punished again by the officials, who gave her a yellow card for two indiscretions which amounted to her relegation. “I don’t really know how it happened”, said Yarnold, who had battled with dizziness due to an inner ear problem on the opening day of competition on Friday.

Pre-race she tested it out as the arena started to fill. I worked so hard to get back from this injury.

Bronze went to the winners of the “B” final, the Netherlands, who earned their place on the podium after setting a new world record of 4min 03.471sec.

It was later confirmed that Christie had ruptured the tendons in her ankle and it was reported that she was in “a race against time” to be fit for Tuesday’s 1000m event. I’m thrilled to have competed for the eighth time, but equally annoyed that I couldn’t win a medal.

Britain now sit on four medals the 2018 Winter Olympics – their minimum target is five – with James Woods finishing an agonising fourth in the men’s skiing freestyle on Sunday. If you are one of the favourites you will always be watched more than other skaters.

He said: “It wasn’t to be this Olympics but I’ve heard that in the mixed zone she talked positively about Beijing and I’d love her to be there and to finish her career on a high”.

“It’s not because it’s an Olympics, but it’s because that’s short-track and that’s the way it goes sometimes”. She later told the BBC that if it hadn’t been the Olympics, “I wouldn’t have got on the ice” because of her injury. “I thought maybe I can’t do this now”.

“I have total respect for why the referees made the decision, and it’s probably for safety reasons”.

The 1000m short track speed skating heats begin on Tuesday 20th February at 10am on BBC1 and Eurosport 2.

“I’m in a different place to Sochi”, she said.

But she fought back well to establish herself among the world’s best and one of Britain’s few realistic medal hopes in Pyeongchang. I definitely think I can come back and medal in Beijing, it’s just frustrating having to wait four more years.