Kamila Sellier appears on Polish television after eye injury
Polish speed skater Kamila Sellier has made her first television appearance in her home country since suffering a severe eye injury during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, reports BritPanorama.
The athlete was carried off the ice with blood on her face following a distressing collision during the women’s 1500m short-track event, which was broadcast live to viewers globally.
Having shared updates on her recovery through social media, Sellier previously focused on showing only “the good side” of her face in photographs. Now feeling more comfortable, she appeared on the Polish morning programme Dzień Dobry TVN, where she discussed the traumatic incident and revealed a small scar from the delicate orbital bone surgery she underwent.
Speaking candidly about her ongoing medical challenges, Sellier detailed her injuries: “I have a titanium mesh placed in the eye socket under my eye. I also still have a broken bone under my eyebrow.” She noted that her most significant difficulty was experiencing impaired vision in certain positions, stating, “The biggest discomfort is that I see double when I look up, and sometimes also when I look down.”
Despite the lingering effects of her injury, the skater displayed a strong determination. “Unfortunately, sometimes we get hit in the face by someone else. I will be left with a scar, my vision might be a bit blurry, but I won’t give up,” she asserted. She credited the support from her family and well-wishers worldwide as essential to her positive outlook during recovery.
Her husband, Diané Sellier, who watched the race unfold, initially did not grasp the full severity of the injury. “Later, when I saw the replay, I saw that the wound was open. That shocked me. I felt terrible,” he recalled, adding, “I called the team, the coach, and everyone who was there as quickly as possible. Everyone was in shock.”
Sellier expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support she has received throughout her recovery, remarking, “It was a serious accident, but I am trying to deal with it positively, especially because I have such amazing people around me. My whole family is behind me, but also people all over the world. I have received so many positive messages from everyone.”
The collision occurred at the Milano Ice Skating Arena when Sellier became entangled with Italy’s Arianna Fontana, a 15-time Olympic medallist, and American competitor Kristen Santos-Griswold. Medical staff immediately attended to her as the race was halted, and a large white sheet was raised to shield her from spectators in the packed venue during the final evening of short-track competition.
As she was wheeled from the arena on a stretcher, Sellier managed to give a thumbs-up to the crowd, while workers cleaned a trail of blood from the track’s final corner. In the aftermath of the incident, Santos-Griswold received a penalty for an illegal lane change that contributed to the collision, which eliminated her from the quarter-final round.
For Sellier, the incident serves as a complex reminder of the fragility of sports, where even the fiercest competitors can experience moments of vulnerability on the ice.
