THERE were tears and cheers as history was made and hearts were broken at the Winter Olympics as speed skater Elise Christie crashed out of another race and just minutes later Lizzy Yarnold became the first British winter athlete to defend a title with victory in the skeleton.

Laura Deas joined Yarnold on the podium – the first time there has been two British athletes in the top three at the Winter Games – and Izzy Atkin had started the day by becoming Britain’s first Olympic medallist on skis with her Slopestyle bronze.

It all made for a day of high drama, a Super Saturday On Ice, but for Christie it was anything but as her status as Britain’s unluckiest Olympian was further underlined after a fall in the semi-final of short track speed skating’s 1500m. To add insult to the injury, she was disqualified as she lay prone on the ice. There were tears again, this time of pain as she was taken away in an ambulance for scans on an ankle injury.

“It’s too early to tell anything for sure and know exactly what the story is,” said Team GB chef de mission Mike Hay. “It’s hard to say this, it’s tough. But right now it’s about Elise’s health. She was in great form and I saw her a couple of times and she was in a great place, it’s just incredibly unfortunate.”

Anything can and does happen in short track. Expect the unexpected, prepare for the improbable. Within moments of Christie leaving the ice her Hungarian boyfriend Shaolin Liu was in action. He helped rebuild her confidence after the death threats that came from Korea after she took out their leading hope at the last Olympics in Sochi. Liu, a world champion, went one better – he took out two Koreans.

“We had a phone call and she told me she’s fine. She’s a tough woman, she will be OK,” Liu said.

And within minutes the news was confirmed by British Olympic Association officials that an X-ray on her right ankle had revealed no broken bones.

Christie came through her 1500m heat in style, dominating the race and progressing with limited fuss. Her six person semi-final was packed with talent, including the world record holder and home crowd favourite Choi Minjejong, with only the top two advancing. Christie found herself needing to make a move on the final bend to get into the mix and her move sent China’s Li Jinuy spinning with her into the barriers.

Team-mate Charlotte Gilmartin also slid out of her semi-final and in the days ahead will play a vital role in picking up Christie, who will be a bridesmaid at her wedding this year.

“It’s horrendous and I really feel for her. I just hope it’s nothing major and the 1000m is all to play for,” she said.

Christie’s season has already been disrupted by injury, with a thigh problem forcing her to skip several World Cup events. But she insisted she was back to full fitness in Pyeongchang and had trained with a smile on her face, despite her fall and fourth place in the 500m final last week.

Time will tell now whether she will be back on the ice for Tuesday’s 1000m qualifying, the event which she claimed was her principle target after winning the world title in Rotterdam last year.

Just minutes after Christie was stretchered off the ice, Yarnold was celebrating her second gold in the skeleton.

“The emotions are still going through me, I don’t really know what is going on,” she said. “I believed I could do my best but it’s something scary to think that far ahead, that maybe I could be a double Olympic champion. I didn’t really let myself say that.

“I love big occasions like this, I love a stiff competition and the pressure. And I love being at the top and thinking this is it, it’s the time to deliver. I can do this.”

Deas paid tribute to her team-mate and said her role in history would take some getting used to.

“I can’t believe I am part of a Super Saturday, I never thought I’d be saying that,” she said. “I’m just extremely proud to be part of an historic day. Lizzy is such a phenomenal athlete, she is so consistent and she knows how to bring it when it matters.”

British Olympic Association officials were set a stiff target of five medals before these Games, more than they have won before. With four medals now banked – thanks to Dom Parsons’ skeleton bronze the previous day – there is plenty of cause for optimism with eight days competition to come.

“What you just saw there was an incredible performance by a real Olympic champion,” said BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney of Yarnold’s gold. “We’ve never won more than two medals in a day, the last time we won two was 1924 in Chamonix. It’s a historic day for our team and winter sports.”

Will Elise race again? Catch the women’s 1000m final live on Eurosport 1 this Tuesday at 10am. Don’t miss a moment of the Olympic Winter Games at Eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app