United States short track speed skater Corinne Stoddard had a memorable and painful Olympic debut in Saturday’s women’s 500m heats.
The American slipped around a corner and shot into the padding feet first from an awkward angle. The force pushed her knee right into her face, and she immediately grabbed her bloodied nose.
Stoddard later announced on Instagram that her nose is broken.
The American said she is still cleared to skate despite the injury, as evidenced by her involvement in the mixed team relay on the same day.
“My nose is broken but the good news is that I am cleared to keep skating and racing,” she wrote on her Instagram story.
Stoddard, a 20-year-old from Seattle, Washington, placed third overall at Olympic Trials in December behind Kristen Santos and Maame Biney.
View social media post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZoC6t_pIx2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
She was eliminated from the women’s 500m competition but is far from done. She is set to compete in the women’s 1000m, 1500m and 3000m relay events.
You can also see a full short track streaming schedule on NBCOlympics.com.
