Suzanne Schulting Tops Short-Track 1000m Qualifying at 2018 Winter Olympics

Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands qualified with the fastest time from the heats of the women's 1,000-metres short-track speedskating on Tuesday at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Netherlands skater posted a mark of one minute, 29.519 seconds to top the standings, while Choi Min-jeong and Arianna Fontana, winners of the 1,500 metres and 500 metres, respectively, also progressed in routine style.

Meanwhile, Elise Christie's Games are over, as the Great Britain star was disqualified from her heat after some illegal contact. That was after she had finished in second position.

Here are the top three qualifiers from the heats, as the women's 1,000-metres got off to a fascinating start.

1. Suzanna Schulting (NED) - 1:29.519

2. Ekaterina Efremenkova (OAR) - 1:29.598

3. Kim Alang (KOR) - 1:30.459

For the results in full, visit the Pyeongchang website.

Schulting on Top, More Heartbreak for Christie

The home supporters were keen to see Choi in action early on after her blistering display in the 1,500-metres.

The South Korean had few problems in her heat, as she came home ahead of China's Chunyu Qu. Her mark was bettered in the heat after, though, as Schulting and Efremenkova moved to the summit of the standings.

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Later in the session, all eyes were on Christie. After crashing out of the 1,500-metres and suffering damage to her ankle, there were big fears as to whether she would be able to compete at all.

Still, the Scot made her way to the start, although she was tripped off the line and fell to the floor, prompting a restart of the heat. Christie appeared to be struggling with her ankle, and there were temporary doubts as to whether she'd be able to go again.

Christie was able to haul herself up, though, and while she hung back at the start second time around, she produced a commendable performance to come home in second place. Christie was then carried from the ice, clearly feeling the effects of her injured ankle.

The Press Association's Mark Staniforth praised the display, although he noted the result had not been made official:

After a significant delay, it was deemed that Christie had made two illegal moves and was issued with a yellow card. It meant her Games, having fallen in the final of the 500-metres, too, were over.

Sky Sports summed up what had been an Olympics to forget for the Briton:

Afterwards, Christie admitted that she was nowhere near full fitness when she took to the ice on Tuesday. 

"I did everything I could to change it around," she said, per BBC Sport. "I had ligament damage, and putting skates on wasn't comfortable. We did everything but it obviously wasn't meant to to be. If it was another competition I wouldn't have got on the ice. The only reason I was given a choice was because it's the Olympics."

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Following the drama of Christie's elimination, a number of other big names progressed with ease. As noted by reporter Arash Madani, it was a good session for the Canadian team:

After winning bronze in the 500-metres and 1,500-metres already, Kim Boutin is definitely one to keep an eye on in the latter stages of the event.

The quarter-finals will take place on Thursday for the 1,000-metres.