Winter Olympics: Elise Christie faces 'fight against time' to make 1,000m

Britain's Elise Christie is in a "fight against time" to be fit for her final Winter Olympic medal chance and "won't be at her optimum" if she does race.

Team GB chef de mission Mike Hay said he must "handle people's expectations" in the 1,000m short-track skating event as Christie had "ruptured part of the tendons" in her ankle.

Christie left the ice in tears and was taken to hospital after colliding with China's Li Jinyu in Saturday's 1500m semi-final. The 27-year-old also fell in Tuesday's 500m final.

The Scot has been wearing a protective boot and has tweeted a video of her on a static bike with the caption "48 hours to try get this sorted".

"At the moment she can't put her [skating] boot on," Hay told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek.

This was posted by Christie's Hungarian short-track skating boyfriend Shaolin Liu on his Instagram profile

Christie was disqualified in all three events at the Sochi Games in 2014.

When asked about her psychological state after five failed attempts to win a medal, fellow Scot Hay said: "She is fighting to be fit and desperate to race, so the psychological element changes a bit.

"If she's able to skate she will, I don't think it's a problem for her mentally.

"It's how the ankle responds. She wants to make it but it might not be her decision. We'll have to wait and see what the doctors say and take it from there."

On Sunday, Christie was retweeting positive messages on social media and correcting perceived criticism from what she called "short-track experts".

She tweeted: "I would like to thank everyone for the support. You have no idea what it means to me. I have so much love for my country."

Elise Christie is keeping fit by training on the bike and posted later on Sunday: "48 hours to get this sorted"

• Read: Who could win Britain's record-breaking medal?

'A devastating run of bad luck' - analysis

Nicola Minichiello, retired British bobsleigher on BBC TV

"At this point I'd just be filling her with positivity. She's had a devastating run of bad luck through the Olympics and at the back of her mind might be, 'Is this just not meant to happen?'.

"She is a phenomenal athlete, but she's just had incredibly bad luck."

Chemmy Alcott, Four-time Olympic alpine skier on BBC TV

"If Elise can get herself fit enough to start the 1,000m race, she has an excuse to not be at her best. When you have that excuse, it does allow you to perform.

"It depends on the level of the injury. If it is just a little something there and she can forget about it, it could be a surprise - a good surprise.

"She is triple world champion, she has achieved so much so if it doesn't go the way she hopes, she has all that to fall back on. If it's not to be, it's not to be."

David McDaid, BBC Sport in Pyeongchang

"Everyone is very conscious that it doesn't turn into a repeat of Sochi. Team-mate Charlotte Gilmartin is a good person to have around. Coach Nick Gooch has known Elise for the past 10 years too, has worked with her, and knows how to calm her down and make her think straight.

"They are very careful to make sure she is thinking in the right way. She did say the 1500m isn't her priority - it is the 1,000m.

"She has been on social media today and seems quite smiley but she is wearing a protective boot. They might even wait up to 20-30 minutes before the heat of the 1,000m to decide if she will race.

"The first heat is on Tuesday - it will take just about 90 seconds - then she has a full day on Wednesday and Thursday before coming back to complete in the quarters and semi-finals.

Fellow British short-track skater Charlotte Gilmartin (right) was around to lift Elise Christie's spirits

Timeline of Olympic heartache for Christie

Christie came into the Games as a triple world champion following a momentous 2017 for the Scottish skater.

She was one of Team GB's certainties for a medal in Pyeongchang but so far the bad luck that blighted her displays at Sochi has returned.

Sochi 2014

• Disqualified in the 500m - involved in a crash which affected the chances of South Korea racer Park Seung-hi.

• Judged not to have finished in her 1500m heat

• Penalised in the 1,000m, her final event, when she was deemed to have impeded China's Li Jianrou on the final lap of the semi-final as they both fell over.

• After that Olympic Games Christie was then subjected to death threats and online abuse from disgruntled South Korea speed skating fans about the 500m crash

Pyeongchang 2018

• Crashed out of the 500m final on the last lap when her hand came in contact with Dutchwoman Yara van Kerkhof's boot. Left the ice in tears and gave an emotional interview to BBC Sport

• Crashed out again in the semi-final of the 1500m, and taken off the ice in tears, with an injured ankle.

• 'Gold or not, you're leaving a legacy' - fans messages to Christie

• Fans taken on emotional Christie rollercoaster

• Christie crashes in 1500m semi-final