Polish skater Kamila Sellier was at the center of one of the most terrifying moments of this year’s Winter Olympics.
Sellier was competing on Friday in the women’s 1500m speed skating competition at the Milano-Cortina Games. In the middle of the event, Sellier took a hard fall to the ice and ended up getting inadvertently slashed by the skate of fellow competitor Kristen Santos-Griswold.
The horrifying moment, which was caught on the television broadcast, showed Sellier being slashed in the eye area by Santos-Griswold’s skate. Sellier was fortunately wearing eye protection at the time but was clearly bleeding in the cheek area directly underneath her left eye.
Here is the video of the frightening moment.
Przerażający upadek Kamili Sellier. Oby z okiem było wszystko w porządku. pic.twitter.com/OJpANEUq91
— Hubert Mściwujewski (@HubertMsciwuj) February 20, 2026
Sellier, 25, is a two-time World Championships medalist for Poland. But the frightening injury (predictably) forced her to withdraw from Friday’s 1500m event.
According to the Associated Press, Sellier, who was taken off the ice on a stretcher, received stitches at the arena and was taken to a local hospital to undergo further testing. Polish officials reportedly stated though that Sellier’s eye was OK.
Santos-Griswold was ultimately penalized for an illegal lane pass that contributed to Sellier’s fall. Meanwhile, Sellier can likely say with certainty that her safety goggles ended up saving her eye there.
