GB star Elise Christie announces her retirement from short-track speed skating after missing out on Beijing Winter Olympics but admits she has her sights set on winning a medal in a different winter sport
- GB’s Elise Christie has announced she is retiring from short-track speed skating
- The triple world champion has been struggling with an ankle injury she sustained
- Christie has competed at the last three Winter Olympics but never won a medal
- She now hopes that she can win an Olympic medal in a different winter sport
Elise Christie has revealed she hopes to win an Olympic medal in a different winter sport after retiring from short-track speed skating.
The triple world champion, who has been struggling with an ankle injury, missed out on a place at next year’s Games in Beijing having finished behind fellow Scot Kathryn Thomson in qualifying last month.
Christie competed at the last three Winter Olympics but never won a medal after being disqualified in all three of her events at Sochi 2014, then a further two at Pyeongchang 2018, as well as a fourth-place finish.
GB star Elise Christie (above) has announced she is retiring from short-track speed skating
The 31-year-old Scot has struggled with depression in recent years, which led to self-harming, and also revealed earlier this year she was drugged and then raped when she was 19.
In a post announcing her retirement on social media, Christie admitted ‘part of my heart will always be missing’ and told fans: ‘I’m sorry I let you all down.’
The triple world champion, who has been struggling with an ankle injury, missed out on a place at next year’s Games in Beijing having finished behind Kathryn Thomson in the qualifiers
Christie competed at the last three Winter Olympics but never won a medal after being disqualified in all three of her events at Sochi 2014
However, Christie then teased that she hopes to reach the Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026 in another event.
‘This won’t be the last you’ll see of me in sport, but I’m taking a new venture down a different path,’ said Christie, who has previously spoken about taking up long-track speed skating.
‘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.
Now Christie has revealed she hopes to win an Olympic medal in a different winter sport
‘I changed this sport in this country, I defied odds, never made excuses for having less than my opponents, and I 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.
‘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.’