Elise Christie: British Olympian retires from short track speed skating, aged 31

Elise Christie will focus on coaching, but has suggested that she may still chase a medal via another route at the 2026 Winter Olympics

British Olympic short track speed skater Elise Christie has retired from the discipline at the age of 31 but says her career in sport "isn't over".

Christie, who has struggled with mental health and multiple injuries in her career, said she would reveal more about her next steps as an athlete soon but for now is focusing on coaching.

The former world and European champion won more than 70 speed skating medals.

"This won't be the last you'll see of me in sport," Christie wrote.

"But I'm taking a new venture down a different path. Part of my heart will always be missing because I never achieved my end goal. But I leave this sport knowing it's left in good hands, with skaters capable of doing what I didn't."

Christie's three Winter Olympic appearances did not bring a single medal - with a series of controversial incidents in 2014 and 2018 costing her.

The Scot's Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games ended with three finishes outside the top 10.

In Sochi in 2014, she was disqualified in all three of her events. She reached the A final in the 500m but was judged to have caused a crash - and a subsequent social media backlash prompted Christie to delete her Twitter account. She was then disqualified in the 1,500m heats for not crossing the finish line - instead running 1cm wide - and the 1,000m semi-final for another crash.

At the time, Christie said she was "confused and heartbroken" by her third disqualification, with BBC TV commentators describing the decision as "absolutely bewildering".

There was further frustration at Pyeongchang in 2018. Christie ended the 500m final in tears, finishing fourth after crashing as her hand appeared to be kicked out from under her by Dutch skater Yara van Kerkhof. She was then disqualified in the 1,500m semi-final - ending up in hospital - and again in the 1,000m heat for crashes.

Christie, born in Livingston, added: "I changed this sport in this country, I defied odds, never made excuses for having less than my opponents, and I walk away with over 70 World Cup/European and World Championship medals, and a fourth place at the Olympics… Only three of those medals are in team events. I also broke a world record.

"I am not a decorated Olympian but I am a decorated athlete."

Christie was targeting a spot at the 2022 Winter Games to achieve her long-standing goal of an Olympic medal but an ankle injury impacted her form during the World Cup season.

She had been set to miss out on qualification for the Games in Beijing, and said on social media in November that her heart was "shattered".

However, she indicated that she may still chase a medal via another route at the 2026 Winter Olympics, adding: "For now I'll be focusing on helping the rest of the team and getting into coaching… I won't reveal for now my sporting plans for 2026, but the Olympic medal dream isn't over."

Christie has also made an impact off the ice, advocating for mental health and opening up about sexual assault in recent interviews around the release of her new autobiography.

The athlete spoke about being raped at 19 after her drink was spiked on a night out. She told the Telegraph: "I felt victim-shamed, almost, by what happened. I wasn't left in a bush, battered and beaten up, so back then I thought: 'It's not rape.'"

And she has spoken openly about her struggles with mental health and self-harm.

In an interview with BBC Sport in November 2018, Christie said that a period from 2017 into 2018 had been the worst year of her life.

Late in 2017, she found out her father had been diagnosed with cancer and she admitted she "wasn't coping well" going into the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

After the competition, she separated from her boyfriend - Hungarian skater Shaolin Sandor Liu - stating he "couldn't cope about how down I was about the Games", adding that she lost her "biggest support" at "her lowest point".

In a 2019 social media post, Christie revealed she had come off antidepressant medication after two years suffering with depression, self-harming and anxiety.

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by any issues raised in this article, support and information is available at BBC Action Line.

Christie's career timeline

• 2005: Switched to speed skating from figure skating at the age of 15.

• January 2010: European Championships, Dresden, Germany: On her debut in the competition, won overall bronze after earning silver in the 1500m and then the 3,000m super final.

• February 2010: Winter Olympics, Vancouver, Canada: Competed in the 500m, 1,000m and 1500m.

• January 2013: European Championships, Malmo, Sweden: Won gold in the 1,000m and 1,500m and secured the overall silver medal.

• March 2013: World Championships, Debrecen, Hungary: Won 1,000m bronze.

• January 2014: European Championships, Dresden: Took the overall silver after winning gold in the 1,000m and silver in the 3,000m relay.

• February 2014: Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia: Disqualified in the 500m, 1,000, and 1,500m.

• March 2014: World Championships, Montreal, Canada: Won 500m silver.

• January 2015: European Championships, Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Won the overall gold after earning gold in both the 500m and 1500m, plus silver in the 3,000 super final.

• March 2015: World Championships, Moscow: Became the first British skater to win two medals at a world championships after taking silver in the 500m and 1,000m.

• January 2016: European Championships, Sochi: Again took the overall European gold after victory in the 500m, 1,000m and 1500m.

• March 2016: World Championships, Seoul, South Korea: Earned the overall world bronze after winning 1,000m silver and 1500m bronze.

• March 2017: World Championships, Rotterdam, the Netherlands: Became first British woman to win gold at a speed skating world championship. She won the overall title after claiming two golds, at 1,000m and 1500m.

• February 2018: Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang, South Korea: Finished fourth in 500m, disqualified in 1,000 and 1,500m.

• April 2019: Opened up about mental health for the first time.

• October 2021: Released her autobiography, titled Resilience.

• December 2021: Retired from speed skating.