A Figure Skater Has Been Accused of Purposefully Slashing a Rival's Calf With Her Skate Blade

By Maria Sherman  |  March 21, 2019 | 5:00pm
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In an allegedly true tale that recalls the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan attack during the 1994 Olympic trials 25 years ago, 22-year old American figure skater Mariah Bell has been accused of purposefully kicking and slashing the calf her competitor from South Korea, the 16-year-old Lim Eun-Soo, with her skate blade. The Washington Post reports that the incident supposedly took place during warm-ups at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan on Wednesday evening.

Representatives for Eun-Soo told Agence France-Presse that Bell had been “bullying Lim for months,” while the pair were training together in Los Angeles and requested the Korean Skating Union (KSU) file a formal complaint with the ISU. A KSU official said, “At this stage, we can’t conclude Bell caused the injury on purpose. It is hard to tell just by watching the video footage of the incident.” Her representatives recounted their version of the event to Korean news organization Yonhap:

“Lim was slowly skating on the edge of the rink after completing her turn. Mariah Bell, who was scheduled to rehearse after Lim, suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim’s calf with her skate blades. Mariah Bell didn’t apologize to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine. We believe this is not a minor situation that can happen in an official rehearsal.”

Whatever the case: Eun-Soo sought medical attention, still competed, and, according to the Washington Post, earned “a personal-best 72.91 points and placing fifth, just ahead of Bell’s 71.26.” She won!

 
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