Poland's Kamila Sellier stretchered off after opponent's blade slices above her eye in Olympic 1500

MILAN (AP) — Short-track speedskater Kamila Sellier of Poland was immobilized on a stretcher and wheeled out of the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Friday night after a competitor's blade sliced her above her left eye during the women's 1,500 meters at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Sellier went down along with 15-time Olympic medalist Ariana Fontana of Italy and American skater Kristen Santos-Griswold, who was penalized for an illegal lane pass that contributed to the accident. That kept her from advancing through the quarterfinal round.

The race was paused while Sellier received attention, a large white sheet blocking her from the crowd that was packed into the arena to see the final night of short-track speedskating. She eventually gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as she was taken away, leaving a trail of blood in the final corner of the track that workers had to clean up during the break.

Polish officials said Sellier's eye was OK. She received stitches at the arena before going to the hospital for more tests.

Fontana's skinsuit was nicked up and she received some help from her physiotherapist on her left hip during the pause. She wound up finishing second to Hanne Desmet of Belgium, sending her through to the semifinal round.

She later advanced into the finals, narrowly edging Zhang Chutong at the finishing line.

Fontana, the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 1,500, was trying to move into a tie with Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen as the most decorated Winter Olympian. Fontana won gold in the 2,000-meter mixed relay and silver in the 500 meters and 3,000-meter relay earlier in the Milan Cortina Games.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Kamila Sellier of Poland is helped after a fall during the women's 1,500 meters short track speed skating quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kamila Sellier of Poland is helped after falling during a short track speed skating women's 1500 meters quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kamila Sellier of Poland is helped after a fall during a short track speed skating women's 1500 meters quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Kamila Sellier of Poland is helped after a fall during the women's 1,500 meters short track speed skating quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kamila Sellier of Poland is helped after falling during a short track speed skating women's 1500 meters quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kamila Sellier of Poland is helped after falling during a short track speed skating women's 1500 meters quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Kamila Sellier of Poland falls during the women's 1,500 meters short track speedskating quarterfinal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A judge has ruled an 18-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of a paddleboarder in Maine is competent to stand trial.

The death of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart, 48, of St. George, last year shocked the community around Crawford Pond in rural Union, Maine. Authorities charged Deven Young of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in Stewart's death in July, about two weeks after Stewart's body was discovered.

The court system has thus far treated Young as a juvenile. Prosecutors in the state want to charge Young, who was 17 at the time of Stewart's death and is 18 now, as an adult. First, he needed to be deemed competent to stand trial, and a judge ruled this week that he is.

"The court finds that the defendant is competent to proceed based on the court’s finding that the juvenile has a rational, as well as a factual, understanding of the proceedings and a sufficient present ability to consult with legal counsel with a reasonable degree of rational understanding," wrote Maine District Court Judge Eric J. Walker on Wednesday.

Young is due back in court on May 7. Police have said a medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Jeremy Pratt, an attorney for Young, declined to comment on Thursday. Prosecutors in the case also declined to comment Thursday.

Authorities have not publicly stated a possible motive in the case. Court documents about the case, which were briefly made public before being removed from the state's courts website, contained little detail other than stating that Young “did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another human being, namely Sunshine Stewart.”

Audio recordings by the Waldo County Sheriff's Office that were obtained by news agencies earlier this year provided details about Young's history of violent behavior and mental health challenges prior to Stewart's death. The Portland Press Herald reported that Young had been waiting for behavioral health services from the state.

Stewart went missing at Crawford Pond, where she was paddleboarding, on July 2 and her body was found the next day. The pond is a popular summertime attraction for swimming, boating and fishing. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George.

Stewart's friends and family celebrated her life with a maritime service last August. The memorial included a procession of boats, some decked out with flowers, in Tenants Harbor.

On the boats were pictures of Stewart smiling and a large sign that read, “Shine On.” Over the years, Stewart worked as a fisherman, boat captain, biologist, carpenter and bartender, friends have said.

FILE - Acquaintances of Sunshine Stewart sit on the bow of a lobster boat during a memorial service for the slain paddleboarder, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, off the coast of St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)