GB’s Christie says she was drugged, raped at 19

Three-time world speed skater champion Elise Christie has said she was raped at the age of 19 in 2010 in Nottingham, England but did not report the incident to the police.

The British skater, 31, told the Telegraph she was on a night out after returning from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games when her drink was spiked with a date rape drug before her attacker took her back to his house.

Christie was checked by a doctor soon afterwards but she said only four people knew about the incident, adding that she had a panic attack when her attacker — who had attempted to apologise to her on Facebook — passed her on the street.

“There are not many people I’ve spoken to about it, I had to even tell my mum because she wasn’t aware,” Christie said.

“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.'”

Christie has skated at three previous Olympics without winning a medal, instead suffering the heartache of repeatedly crashing out or being disqualified. She became the first British woman to win a speed skating world championship gold medal in 2017.

She has recounted that night in her new autobiography ‘Resilience’, saying it was a big step to talk about the assault.

“I’ve always talked about the fact that I want to help people. There are so many women who have gone through or who might be going through this same situation right now and won’t speak up either,” Christie added.

With the burden of medalling being too much to bear, she said she had a different goal in mind for the 2022 Beijing Games and was taking inspiration from American gymnast Simone Biles, who pulled out of finals in Tokyo to prioritise mental health.

“In Beijing, honestly, it’s just about finishing the competition,” she said. “There’s not one distance at the Olympic Games that I have finished. I know that physically I’m not going to be what I was but I still have the ability to medal.”