Skater Celski injured in crash at Short Track Olympic trials

Photo by Carlos Osorio, AP
Speedskater J.R. Celski is injured in a crash during a 500-meter semifinal event at the U.S. short track speedskating championships.

Jim LaJoie for USA TODAY

A rush of excitement turned harshly silent Saturday evening when Olympic hopeful and rising speedskating star J.R. Celski went down on the ice during the second-to-last lap in the semifinal heat of the 500-meter Men's race.

Competing at the 2010 U.S. Short Track Speedskating Olympic Team trials at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich., Celski rounded the corner and maneuvered for position in a tight crowd when it appeared he stumbled on the crossover, and upon crashing into the sideboards, his right skate cut into his left leg.

Paramedics and medical personnel hurriedly arrived on the scene, attending to Celski's bleeding leg. He was transported by ambulance to nearby Marquette General Hospital where he underwent surgery. An update on his status will be made on Sunday.
[...] The good news on a somber night for Celski is that the final points he received up to the injury were sufficient enough for him to receive an Olympic Team nomination.

Ohno, Celski, Jordan Malone, Travis Jayner and Simon Cho finished one through five, with Ohno collecting 6,912 points and Celski having 5,014. For the women, Reutter, Alyson Dudek, Kimberly Derrick, Allison Baver and Lana Gehring placed one through five, respectively. Reutter literally skated away with the competition with 6,952 points, with Dudek finishing a distant second with 5,490. The speedskaters were honored for their selections in a special on-ice celebration following the races.
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U.S. speedskating thriller goes to Ohno; Celski hurt Denver Post
From CTV's Olympic site. Photo AP