ELLO ELISE
ELISE CHRISTIE plans to come out of retirement and compete at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
Last December, the 31-year-old failed to qualify for the Beijing Games due to injury and announced she would be hanging up her short-track speed skates.
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The Scot competed at three Games but never won a medal, spectacularly crashing and slipping several times in high-profile and high-octane races.
Christie, who now works in a pizza restaurant and curry market to pay the bills, is planning to train abroad over the next four years after selling her UK home.
Asked if she had made peace with the Olympics, the three-time world champion told the : "No, I thought I had.
"But watching the 500m event the other day I’ve made a vow I’m going to do everything I can to try to get back out at the next one.
"I’m going to have to be going abroad realistically and then self-funding. I need some time to do that.
"But I’m definitely going to be getting back into shape. I’ve had three months of eating cookies."
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Christie would have been in Beijing this month had she not torn ligaments in her ankle earlier in the season in a crash.
Randomly she says she has looked at training in Kazakhstan and the US to accomplish her dream.
Over the past few months, she has fuelled her competitive juices into 60mph E-scooter competitions in London.
She added: "I wanted to get that Olympic medal but it wasn’t meant to be this time. I knew I wasn’t going to be at a good enough standard.
"I feel like I could still medal in four years. I need to figure out how. I have needed this break. Watching these Games has sparked something inside of me.
"People on Twitter have said it is boring without me, which is really sweet.
"I will still skate for Britain but train somewhere else and focus only on the sprint distances. It won’t be easy. I don’t have the back for it right now."
Kathryn Thomson withdrew from last night’s 1500m event due to medical reasons.
She said: "Sport can be tough sometimes. I won’t be racing my last distance here in Beijing.
"I’m very grateful for the team around me and I’d like to thank you all for the support."
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