Elise Christie announces retirement from short track speed skating ahead of Beijing 2022 Olympics
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ByEurosport
Updated 14/12/2021 at 16:40 GMT
Elise Christie has retired from short track speed skating with the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics just a few months away. She has been struggling to recover from an ankle injury in recent weeks. She wrote: "For now I'll be focusing on helping the rest of the team and getting into coaching... I won't reveal for now my sporting plans for 2026, but the Olympic medal dream isn't over."
Elise Christie
Image credit: Getty Images
Great Britain's three-time world champion Elise Christie has announced her retirement from short track speed skating and is planning to transition into coaching.
Christie is a 10-time European gold medallist and won two overall European titles in 2015 and 2016. The 31-year-old won world titles in the 1000m and 1500m events and overall gold at the 2017 World Championships in Rotterdam.
Christie also competed at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. She came fourth in the 500m final in PyeongChang.
A series of crashes and disqualifications derailed her attempts to medal at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang, which led to her facing a torrent of social media abuse and death threats.
Christie had been suffering from an ankle injury and has retired from the sport just two months before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
"I will have a lot to say and I know a lot of people with have a lot of questions… but for now it’s time to announce my retirement from short track speed skating," she wrote on social media.
"This won't be the last you'll see of me in sport, but I'm taking a new venture down a different path. Part of my heart will always be missing because I never achieved my end goal. But I leave this sport knowing it's left in good hands, with skaters capable of doing what I didn't.
"I changed this sport in this country, I defied odds, never made excuses for having less than my opponents, and I will walk away with over 70 World Cup/European and world championship medals, and a fourth place at the Olympics... Only three of those medals are in team events. I also broke a world record.
"I am not a decorated Olympian but I am a decorated athlete. I'm sorry I let you all down, and I'm so thankful to so many people... especially UK Sport who stuck by me my entire career."
Christie revealed she will help support the Team GB athletes competing in Beijiing and beyond.
She added: "For now I'll be focusing on helping the rest of the team and getting into coaching... I won't reveal for now my sporting plans for 2026, but the Olympic medal dream isn't over."
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