ELISE CHRISTIE faces a desperate fight for fitness as she attempts to salvage her Olympic dream.
Britain’s world champion speed skater, who is yet to medal at a Winter Olympics, was taken to hospital after injuring her ankle while crashing out of Saturday’s 1,500m.
That disaster in her second event of these games leaves only the 1,000m, with the qualifying to be held on Tuesday ahead of the final stages on Thursday.
But Team GB chef de mission Mike Hay said: “It’s a bit of a fight against time whether she can make it or not.
“Nothing is broken, she got soft tissue damage to her right ankle and we won’t be making a decision until Tuesday morning whether she can skate.
“It’s how the ankle responds. She wants to make it but it might not be her decision – we’ll have to wait and see what the doctors say and take it from there.
“There must be some chance or they wouldn’t be saying we can wait until Tuesday, we’ll just have to sit tight.
“We’ve got a programme put together to her the best opportunity but it’s very much in the balance.
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“If she’s able to skate she will, I don’t think it’s a problem for her mentally.”
Scottish short-track star Christie, 27, was carried out on a stretcher after colliding with China’s Li Jinyu in her semi-final.
She also tumbled in last week’s 500m final and suffered two disqualifications and a fall in Sochi four years ago.
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