“I only knew later that my elbow was broken. It is still a bit crooked. It was not the ideal preparation,” Desmet said in an interview with Sporza. Desmet wrote Belgian skating history by being the first woman to ever win a gold medal in individual skating.
“I wasn’t there the way I wanted to be. I was so ready, but I fell and I was in so much pain. I had to get over it and I succeeded.” And whether or not she succeeded, she dominated the competition and won her first gold medal at a World Championship.
“I knew what I came to Beijing for, nothing would stop me. I didn’t deal with the pain and it was only a small fracture. My arm was not in two.”