US figure skater, 22, is accused of slashing her 16-year-old Korean rival before world championships by kicking her with the blade of her skates - but officials rule there is NO evidence of intentional harm
An American figure skater has been accused of slashing her South Korean rival on the leg before they competed in the world championships.
Mariah Bell, 22, allegedly kicked Lim Eun-soo, 16, during a warm-up before they were set to skate at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Japan on Wednesday.
Lim's management agency claims that Bell cut the teen's leg while the skaters were rehearsing before the women's short program. 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 Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine. Lim, who was skating in her first senior world championships, suffered a gash on her calf. The wound was treated and bandaged.
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. Both women will compete in the free skate program on Friday.
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.'.
Bell and Lim both train under coach Rafael Arutyunyan in Los Angeles, and the Korean skater's management claims that Bell has been 'bullying Lim for months' leading up to the world championships.
But 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 on Wednesday.
'Stop creating s**t and spreading rumors. What happened in the warm up was an accident. Don't distract both Eunsoo and Mariah from the competition.'.
'Mariah and Eunsoo are competitive and train all the time together at home,' he added. 'Bullying is something Rafael would never tolerate.'.
Skating fans in South Korea quickly took to social media to condemn Bell on Wednesday, with many noting the claim that she hadn't apologized to Lim at the time.
'The problem with Mariah Bell was that she was skating too close to the edge and her blade stabbed into Eunsoo's leg,' tweeted one fan. 'Putting all bullying rumors aside, shouldn't she have apologized?'.
Some skating fans showed their support for Bell, while others asked that her detractors 'calm down and analyze' the situation.
'Why would a veteran skater like Bell injure someone during a PUBLIC PRACTICE in front of hundreds of fans?' asked one Twitter user. 'None of the fans, who were taking notes, said ANYTHING about a collision.'.
Many also 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. THE SCANDAL THAT ROCKED AMERICAN FIGURE SKATING.
In the lead-up to the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, the figure skating world was closely watching Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. After Kerrigan was attacked just one day before the US Figure Skating Championship in January 1994, the whole world was watching.
Kerrigan and Harding were both dominating the sport before the attack.
Harding won first at the 1991 US Championship, placed fourth in the 1992 Olympics, and became the first American woman to successfully land a triple Axel in competition and the second woman to do it in history.
The attack on Nancy Kerrigan by Tonya Harding's ex-husband completely rocked the world of figure skating, dominated American headlines for month, and got Harding banned from the sport for life.
But it was Kerrigan who had the momentum before Lillehammer. She won a silver medal at the Olympics in 1992 and was named the US Championship in 1993.
A day before she could have the chance to defend her title, Kerrigan was struck with a baton just above her right knee. It was soon revealed that Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and her bodyguard Shawn Eckardt had orchestrated the attack.
Kerrigan was forced to withdraw from the championship games and Harding won first place. Both women were then selected for the US 1994 Olympic team. 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.