Polish Olympic velocity skater Kamila Sellier is sending a optimistic message to American Kristen Santos-Griswold after Santos-Griswold unintentionally reduce Sellier’s face together with her blade throughout a race on the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“Hello everybody, it has come to my consideration that @kristensantos has been receiving plenty of messages blaming her for the accident. I kindly ask you to not place any blame on her,” Sellier, 25, posted through her Instagram story on Sunday, February 22. “What occurred was not anybody’s fault. That is the character of our sport — it carries inherent dangers, and I’m absolutely conscious of them each time I step onto the ice.”
She continued, “Please keep in mind that accidents can occur, and nobody meant for this to happen. Let’s assist each other as a substitute of pointing fingers. Let’s select kindness as a substitute of hate.”
The accident occurred throughout the girls’s 1500m occasion on Friday, February 20, when Sellier collided with Santos-Griswold, 31, on the ice. As the 2 crashed, Santos-Griswold’s blade slashed Sellier’s eye in a scary second that turned bloody.
After receiving medical therapy, Sellier was taken off the ice on a stretcher. The athlete gave a thumbs-up to the shocked crowd on the best way out.
Santos-Griswold was penalized for an unlawful lane go that contributed to the accident, eliminating her from the competitors.
“@kristensantos I’m sending you numerous love and hugs,” Sellier posted on Sunday. “I do know it’s not straightforward time for you as properly.”
USA’s Kristen Santos-Griswold crashes as she competes within the quick monitor velocity skating girls’s 1500m
Gabriel BOUYS / AFPSantos-Griswold responded to Sellier’s message on her personal Instagram accountreposting Sellier’s letter and thanking her for her form phrases.
“Kamila, your kindness and energy imply greater than I can put into phrases,” Santos-Griswold wrote. “The second I noticed she sustained a reduce to the face from my blade, I went on to her to examine in. That’s the sort of respect we now have for one another as opponents and as individuals. I might by no means deliberately put her in hurt’s manner, and I’m so grateful for her kindness and understanding.”
She continued, “Quick monitor is quick and unpredictable. Everyone knows the dangers each time we step onto the ice. Thanks for reminding everybody of that and for selecting grace in a troublesome state of affairs.”
The American completed her assertion by wishing Sellier a speedy restoration.
Polish velocity skater Kamila Sellier suffered a dramatic damage on the 2026 Winter Olympics when she was slashed by a skate close to her eye. The incident occurred throughout the girls’s 1500m occasion on Friday, February 20, when Sellier, 25, was reduce by Workforce USA’s Kristen Santos-Griswold’s skate blade whereas crashing onto the ice. Santos-Griswold, 31, (…)
“Proud to share the ice with you,” she wrote. “At all times wishing you the most effective and hoping for a speedy restoration.”
Sellier appears to be in good spirits as she continues recovering from her damage, posting an replace from the hospital in a Saturday, February 21, Instagram submit. Within the submit, Sellier is seen smiling as she lays in a hospital mattress sporting a hospital robe. She is making a coronary heart gesture together with her thumb and index finger within the selfie.
“I do know that sooner or later I’ll take a look at this image and keep in mind that I’m stronger than I ever believed,” Sellier wrote through Instagram alongside a selfie from a hospital mattress. “Thanks for all of your phrases of assist.”
She continued, “(I) simply needed to let you recognize that I’m doing fairly OK.”