US figure skater, Mariah Bell, 22, has broken her silence about slashing her Korean rival Lim Eun-soo, 16, with one of her skates during a warm up session last week.
Bell posted a message on her Instagram page that is now private, addressing accusations she was intentionally trying to hurt her competition.
She told her followers on the secured account that not only had she received negative comments online from those supporting Eun-soo, but her loved ones had too.
‘As I told Eun-soo in Japan, the incident at practice was very unfortunate and I meant absolutely no harm,’ she wrote in a social media post obtained by TODAY.
s
American Mariah Bell (left), 22, says she meant no harm to South Korean rival Lim Eun-soo (right), 16 when she cut her leg last Wednesday
Footage, which appears to have been shot on a cellphone from the stands, shows Lim skating gracefully round the rink shortly before the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan.
Bell can be seen coming up behind her on the ice and performing a pirouette, before gliding past her rival with her leg extended out behind her.
Suddenly, Lim’s expression became pained and she crumpled over, while Bell skated past her. That was the moment the American athlete’s skate slashed open Lim’s leg, leaving her with a gash.
The International Skating Union revealed on Thursday that it had been made aware of the allegations against Bell from Lim’s agency and the Korea Skating Union.
ISU officials said the incident was verbally reported by the Korean Team Leader but that it did not receive a formal complaint.
‘Based on the evidence at hand at this point in time, which includes a video, there is no evidence that Ms Bell intended any harm to Ms Lim,’ the ISU said in an official statement.
‘The ISU met with delegates from both USA and Korea and urged both parties to find an amicable solution,’ it added. ‘The ISU maintains that this remains the appropriate approach.’
Footage, which appears to have been shot on a cellphone from the stands, shows Lim skating gracefully round the rink shortly before the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan
The incident sparked accusations that the American was intentionally trying to hurt her
Bell thanked them as well as her coach, who she shares with Eun-soo, in the Instagram post.
‘I’m happy to be back home after two good skates at world championships and a season I’m really proud of. I want to thank my family, fans and friends, Rafael and Vera Arutyunyan [sic] and US Figure Skating for their support last week.’
The Korean skater received medical treatment and later returned to the ice with a bandage around her leg. Her management agency have since accused Bell of intentionally kicking and cutting Lim.
They allege that Lim had been slowly skating on the edge of the rink after completing her turn when the incident happened.
‘Mariah Bell, who was scheduled to rehearse after Lim, suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim’s calf with her skate blades,’ the teen’s agent told Agence France-Presse. ‘Mariah Bell didn’t apologize to Lim after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine.’
Her management alleged Bell had been ‘bullying Lim for months’. The teen was skating in her first senior world championships.
Lim’s agency claims Bell (pictured after the incident) didn’t apologize to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine’
Lim, who was skating in her first senior world championships (pictured), was patched up before scoring a personal-best 72.91 points on Wednesday
Bell’s private Instagram post said she told Eun-soo the incident was ‘very unfortunate’
Last Friday, the pair returned to the ice but neither seemed too pleased to see each other and the duo barely looked at each other during practice.
But Bell claimed they had each other’s back in her Instagram post.
‘Our training environment is professional and supportive, and I’ve never changed locker rooms or training times or anything like that,’ she insisted.
After the incident Olympian US figure skater Adam Rippon quickly shot down allegations of bullying on Twitter.
‘I’ve been to the rink multiple times and NO ONE has been bullying anyone, he tweeted last Wednesday.
‘Stop creating s**t and spreading rumors. What happened in the warm up was an accident. Don’t distract both Eun-soo and Mariah from the competition.’
‘Mariah and Eun-soo are competitive and train all the time together at home,’ he added. ‘Bullying is something Rafael would never tolerate.’
US figure skater has same coach as Eun-soo and said on Instagram: ‘Our training environment is professional and supportive’. They’re pictured last Friday, two days after the incident, with their eyes down before the warm-up for the Ladies Free Skating
After allegations she had bullied Eun-soo in the past, Bell wrote on social media: ‘I’ve never changed locker rooms or training times or anything like that’. Pictured on Friday, days after the incident, the duo don’t look at each other as Eun-soo greets the audience during the warm-up
On Friday, in the free skate, Lim Eun-soo was seen still sporting her bandage from the incident
Lim’s management agency claims Bell kicked the teen skater, causing a cut to her leg while the women were rehearsing before the women’s short program on Wednesday. Lim is seen Friday
Instead Bell suggested she, her relatives and friends have become victims after the incident.
‘The comments that my friends, family and I received on social media were hateful and disturbing and hopefully this situation raises awareness and causes people to think twice before hitting “tweet” or “post,” she revealed on Instagram.
Many called for skating fans to stop cyberbullying Bell after her Instagram was flooded with comments comparing her to American figure skater Tonya Harding.
Harding rocked the figure skating world when her ex-husband and bodyguard were accused of planning an attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan before the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.
It was a sensational news story that dominated headlines for months and was later turned into the Academy-Award winning film I, Tonya.
Kerrigan went on to win silver at the Olympics while Harding finished in eighth place.
Harding was later banned for life from participating in US Figure Skating as either a skater or coach after a USFSA panel concluded that she had prior knowledge of the attack.
But Olympian US figure skater Adam Rippon shot down allegations of bullying on Twitter
Bell said she, her friends and family received ‘hateful and disturbing’ on social media messages since the incident but she learned about her ‘inner strength’
She added on Instagram: ‘I’m excited to continue to train in the lead up to Beijing in 2022’
Despite the incident, Lim skated a personal best of 72.91 points on Wednesday night.
She placed fifth in the women’s short program at Saitama, while Bell placed in sixth.
Lim finished in 10th place overall in the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Japan last Friday while Bell scooped 9th place.
Bell added in her social media post that she was looking forward to getting back on the ice.
‘I learned a lot about my inner strength last week, and I’m excited to continue to train in the lead up to Beijing in 2022.’
This week’s controversy has reminded many of the famous rivalry between US figure skaters Tonya Harding (left) and Nancy Kerrigan (right). Harding’s husband and bodyguard arranged an attack on Kerrigan before the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics