US short track speed skater Kristen Santos-Griswold received a penalty on Friday, after her illegal lane pass contributed to a frightening collision during the 1,500-meter women's short track event.

The incident led to Poland's Kamila Sellier being stretchered off the ice after a competitor's blade sliced her above the left eye. Italy's 15-time Olympic medalist Ariana Fontana also went down in the crash.

31-year-old Santos-Griswold was subsequently disqualified from advancing to the Olympic short track semifinal, despite her quarterfinal efforts.

Illegal Kristen Santos-Griswold pass spurs short track pile-up

Race officials paused the competition while medical personnel attended to Sellier. A large white sheet blocked the injured skater from the packed arena crowd during treatment. Sellier eventually flashed a thumbs-up to spectators as workers wheeled her out, the ice stained red with blood where she fell.

Polish officials confirmed Sellier received stitches at the arena before heading to the hospital for additional tests.

Fontana's skinsuit sustained damage in the collision, and she received treatment from her physiotherapist during the pause. Despite the crash, Fontana finished second to Belgium's Hanne Desmet and advanced to the semifinal round.

Fontana later reached the finals by narrowly beating China's Chutong Zhang to the finish line, preventing the reigning 1,500-meter silver medalist from tying Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen as the world's most decorated Winter Olympian.

The penalty marked a disappointing end to Santos-Griswold's 2026 Olympic campaign, after the US speed skating star failed to reach the podium over the course of two Winter Games.

US women's hockey captain Hilary Knight proposed to speed skater Brittany Bowe at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina this week, marking a special moment for two Team USA athletes competing on the world's biggest stage.

Bowe accepted Knight's proposal on Tuesday, as the US women's hockey star got down on one knee to ask the question. Bowe later shared the engagement news on social media complete with photos from the event.

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The couple first connected during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, with Bowe and Knight taking long evening walks together during those Winter Games. The walks provided both athletes a break from the competition — and their relationship blossomed.

Bowe, a two-time Olympic speed skating bronze medalist, competed in multiple events in Milan, finishing fourth in both the 1,000-meter individual race and the team pursuit.

Knight will compete for gold against archival Canada this afternoon after representing US women's hockey across multiple Olympic cycles. Bowe's own Olympic journey spans several Winter Games, cementing her legacy in speed skating.

Should US hockey win gold, it would give Knight and Bowe a chance to celebrate with an Olympic championship.

The news makes Bowe and Knight the second Team USA couple to say yes in Milano-Cortina this year, after alpine skier Breezy Johnson got engaged at the women's super-G event finish line last week.

Short track speed skating kicked off Tuesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics, with Team USA's Kristen Santos-Griswold and Corinne Stoddard delivering a split result in the women's 500-meter heats.

Santos-Griswold won her heat with a time of 42.767 seconds, advancing to the quarterfinals alongside China's Chutong Zhang. And for the 31-year-old, the result opens a redemption tour four years in the making.

A crash on the final lap cost Santos-Griswold a bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Games, knocking her off the 1,000-meter podium. She briefly considered retiring from the sport, before ultimately returning to become the world's top all-around short track skater.

Things didn't go as well for Santos-Griswold's US teammate Corinne Stoddard.

Racing against China's Xinran Wang, Japan's Rika Kanai, France's and Aurelie Leveque, the 24-year-old speed skater fell on the third lap to trigger a multi-skater pileup. She attempted to recover but stumbled again, effectively ending her race. She subsequently finished last with a time of 1:11.651.

Despite the setback, Team USA managed to advance three skaters overall, with Julie Letai also qualifying for the quarterfinals despite finishing third in her heat.

Santos-Griswold enters as the reigning Crystal Globe champion following a dominant 2024/25 season that included nine individual distance World Tour medals and a historic five medals at the 2024 World Short Track Championships. She stands as the first US women's short track speed skater to medal at three individual distances at a single world championship.

US women's speed skating hasn't reached an Olympic short track podium since 2010, as Santos-Griswold now leads Team USA's best chance of ending that drought.

Jutta Leerdam claimed her first Olympic gold medal on Monday, setting a new Winter Games record in the women's 1,000-meter speed skating event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The Dutch speed skater completed the race in 1 minute, 12.31 seconds, nearly one full second faster than defending champion Miho Takagi's 2022 time. Leerdam's Olympics triumph came before a crowd of orange-clad Dutch fans who created a raucous atmosphere at the temporary arena in Milan.

Racing in the final heat against Takagi, Leerdam maintained steady strides throughout the race. Crossing the finish line, she stopped to blow kisses at her fiancé, YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul, after the couple announced their engagement via Instagram last year.

Leerdam's Dutch teammate Femke Kok took silver, while Takagi settled for bronze after winning gold four years ago. US speed skater Brittany Bowe, who set the 1,000-meter world record in 2019, finished fourth, followed by fellow Team USA star and reigning 500-meter champion Erin Jackson at sixth.

The performance marks the third Olympics record in three races this year. Leerdam's Olympics success builds on her recent momentum, after winning three of four 1,000-meter World Cup races including a victory over Kok last month.

Leerdam brings extensive experience to the Olympics, tallying 12 worlds medals — including six golds — while capturing 1,000-meter titles in 2020 and 2023.

How to watch speed skater Jutta Leerdam at the Winter Olympics

The 25-year-old Dutch star will compete again on Sunday, hitting the track for the women's 500-meter event at 11:03 AM ET, live on NBC.

Speed skating is back on the ice on Monday, as reigning 500-meter champion Erin Jackson makes her 1,000-meter debut in the sport's second individual women's event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

While Team USA failed to medal in Saturday's 3,000-meter race, two US skaters have podium potential on Monday's start line: Jackson and fellow Olympic veteran Brittany Bowe.

As for Jackson, the 33-year-old Team USA flag bearer opens her 2026 campaign looking to add to her historic 2022 run, when she became the first Black woman to win an individual Winter Olympic gold medal.

"A lot has changed over the years, especially me getting older," Jackson said ahead of Monday's race. "But I'm feeling super confident and excited to give it another go."

Meanwhile, 37-year-old Bowe will be hunting a third piece of Olympic hardware as she looks to better her bronze-medal finish in her signature 1,000-meter race at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Though Bowe is currently third in the world at that distance while Jackson clocks in 10th, the 500-meter specialist edged Bowe in the 1,000-meter at last month's US Olympic Trials — launching Jackson into the medal conversation for Monday's race in Milan.

That said, the US contenders face a loaded Olympic field that includes reigning champion Miho Takagi (Japan) and 2022 silver medalist — and Dutch social media influencer — Jutta Leerdam.

How to watch Erin Jackson race at the 2026 Winter Olympics

The women's 1000-meter speed skating race begins at 11:30 AM ET on Monday, airing live on USA Network.