ELISE Christie’s misfortunes at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, on the back of those she memorably faced at the 2014 Sochi Games, have transfixed Britain - in that peeking-through-your-fingers-at-a-horror-film type of way. Not one but two sports writers were inspired to update the old rhyme about the wives of Henry VIII. One said it should now read ‘disqualified, disqualified, disqualified, fell, disqualified, disqualified’. Watching her, said the other, "has become a real-life Wacky Races”.

As the anti-Christie trolls logged onto Twitter and amused themselves with the usual mocking jests – “has she ever thought this isn’t the sport for her?” being one of the milder ones – sports journalists analysed the reason for the Scot’s failures in short-track speed skating in 2014 and now in 2018. Was it sheer bad luck? The result of rash tactics? Or something psychological?

Christie, however, gave the trolls as good as she got. Heartened by all those who’d supported her she said: “I’m a world champion. You’re sitting at home on your keyboard. Stop trying to make people feel bad.” She also defiantly declared that she was setting her sights on the next Winter Games – in Beijing, four years from now.

Christie received three disqualifications in Sochi, in the 500m, 1500m and 1000m – the first and last after crashes, the middle one because she was adjudged not to have crossed the finishing line properly. In South Korea she crashed in the 500m on the last lap, losing her balance after coming into brief contact with a Dutch skater - the Scot was sent into the barriers and the Dutch woman went on to claim silver.

In the 1500m semi-final Christie was not only disqualified after a collision with another skater but also suffered a bad ankle injury. She was nevertheless still able to take part in a 1000m heat - which, as it turned out, featured a collision, tears, a restart, two fouls and a yellow card meaning disqualification. As one commentator put it, this was "all of Christie’s Olympic nightmares rolled into one”.

The 27-year-old skater, who is originally from Livingston, has more than suffered for her sport. Speaking last March, just after becoming a triple world champion at the World Short-Track Championships in Rotterdam, she admitted that she had been “really close to giving it all up” after Sochi. “I never thought the sport could have such an impact on my life.” She praised the support she had received, but it was obvious that her sheer physical and mental strength had played the key role.

The inquest was quick to begin after Pyeongchang, however. Some pointed to the £4.76 million that UK Sport awarded the British short-track racing team in the hope of getting at least one medal at the current Games. There have now been calls for Great Britain to think twice before subsidising her next Winter Olympics adventure.

But a wider issue has also come into play. When GB’s short-track speed skating performance director, Stewart Laing, was asked by journalists whether Christie had been too aggressive in Pyeongchang, he said: “It’s harsh if people call Elise reckless.” One sports reporter continued: “Perhaps. But after watching all of Christie’s races in Sochi and Pyeongchang there is a case to be made that her all-or-nothing approach narrows the gap between glory and disaster by too great a margin. Hers is a muscular style, an eye-of-the-needle approach, a gold-or-bust attitude.” He did concede, though, that the skater had echoed the ‘no compromise’ philosophy of UK Sport - the organisation tweeted on February 20: “What a show of grit and determination this has been from Elise Christie."

Another sports commentator claimed Christie had put herself in a position where she kept having to almost force success - “barging her way up the inside or using here arms to squeeze out a rival.” She had also pushed her luck with the judges.

Stewart Laing has pointed to the Scot’s successes at Rotterdam last year. “It is the nature of racing,” he said. “You have heard multiple athletes, and you have heard Elise, say, ‘This is short-track.’ It is the way the sport is. It is crazy, and we love it.” It is also worth mentioning that six female skaters were disqualified in eight 1,000m heats last Tuesday, and five men were disqualified in the men’s 500m heats that same day.

Interviewed on Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday morning, Christie reflected: “It just wasn’t meant to be, this time round.” Sport can be cruel, she acknowledged, “but that’s what we’re all trained for”. She had been hobbled by injury for her main event, the 1000m, she added, “which wasn’t ideal.” She addressed the social-media critics in measured tones: “Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I completely respect that. All I ask is that I’m not fully judged on what’s been seen here. I’ve worked so hard. I’ve medalled, I’ve [a] world-record … you know, I’ve done everything except an Olympic medal. I came fourth in the 500m … how many people can say they’re fourth in an Olympic Games? There’s still way more to come, I think.”

In Pyeongchang, Christie has discovered, yet again, just how thin the dividing-line is between success and failure. She has shown her determination, her will to win, in recovering from previous setbacks and while Beijing 2022 is a long way off, it speaks much for her that she has set her sights on such a target. If she finally wins an Olympic gold there, that should finally silence the professional sceptics, to say nothing of all those critics, sitting at home on their keyboards.