Elise Christie arrived at Sochi 2014 as one of the big favorites. If she won, she would be the first British gold medalist in skating since Torvill and Dean.
She was disqualified in the 1500 and 1000 meters, and missed the podium.
Back home, she was afraid to go outside. According to Sky Sports, the backlash against her was so harsh that she received death threats.
But she kept going. She competed in three Winter Olympics representing the United Kingdom. And she didn’t win a medal at any of them.
An ankle injury took its toll before Beijing 2022, and she failed to qualify. She retired in December 2021.
Life after the ice didn’t come with a champion’s salary. She worked at Pizza Hut. And she opened an OnlyFans account.
As The Telegraph reported, she said she earned around 5,000 pounds for every 700 subscribers. And she spoke plainly about her full-time job: “My full-time job is hard for the money I earn.”.
She explained to Sky Sports what was behind it: “The problem is financial. I was in a huge financial hole.”.
Today she says that account has dwindled significantly and that she no longer wants to continue. She says she doesn’t feel it’s who she is, and that what she wants is to be close to the sport again.
Some athletes say goodbye with a medal. Others, with a bill to pay. And both gave their whole lives to the track.