16-Year-Old Korean Figure Skater Stabbed With Skate Blade By American Competitor
South Korean figure skater Lim Eun Soo sustained a calf injury during her official rehearsals for the ISU World Championships. The news has since become controversial, as Lim Eun Soo and her management agency All That Sports insisted that an American competitor Mariah Bell intentionally caused the injury.
According to All That Sports, Lim Eun Soo was skating around the edge of the ice rink after finishing up her routine, when Mariah Bell’s blade stabbed her in the left calf.
At first, it looked like an accident. But Lim Eun Soo was skating close to the side of the rink to stay out of everyone’s way. Considering the fact that Mariah Bell approached her from the back, it is likely the incident was intentional.
— All That Sports Representative
The representative from All That Sports added that Lim Eun Soo and Mariah Bell trained with the same coach in Los Angeles, California. During this time, Mariah Bell is said to have bullied, interfered with her training, and verbally abused Lim Eun Soo. The management agency knew of the severity of the situation and asked that Lim Eun Soo and Mariah Bell use separate lockers and different training sessions to prevent any incidents.
Mariah Bell didn’t apologize to Lim Eun Soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse her routine. We believe this isn’t a light situation that can happen at an official rehearsal. We have asked the Korea Skating Union to file an official complaint against Mariah Bell for her intentional infliction of Lim Eun Soo’s injury.
— All That Sports Representative
Meanwhile, Lim Eun Soo was immediately taken to care by the medical staff. The Korea Skating Union trainers also looked after Lim Eun Soo for additional care.
Despite the injury, Lim Eun Soo participated in the championships as scheduled. She ranked #5 after putting together a flawless performance. Mariah Bell came in at #6.
Netizens have flooded Mariah Bell’s Instagram account, with heavy criticism for “poor sportsmanship”.
“Shame on you.”
“You’re a disgrace to the sport and America as a whole.”
“You don’t deserve to be on the ice.”
“Bullying is not okay.”
Mariah Bell’s boyfriend and fellow figure skater Romain Ponsart added to the controversy by responding to the online criticism toward Mariah Bell. Romain Ponsart suggested Lim Eun Soo is framing Mariah Bell to “destroy a competitor”.
While no official statement has yet come from any involved parties, netizens are eager to find out if in fact Mariah Bell’s actions against Lim Eun Soo were intentional.
