Speed skater Elise Christie out of Winter Olympics after disqualification

British speed skating star Elise Christie is out of the Winter Olympics after being disqualified during a 1,000m short-track heat.

The medal hopeful finished second following a restart after she fell in the first lap.

However, she was then given a yellow card by judges for two infringements, related to pushing or nudging other skaters, during the race.

With her hopes of a medal dashed she was carried from the arena by teammates, apparently suffering pain following an ankle injury sustained earlier in the week.

The decision puts an end to the three-time world champion's 2018 Games, which have proved an emotional roller coaster.

Already a high-stakes competition in the wake of a devastating triple disqualification at Sochi 2014, Christie's Olympics this year has been plagued by setbacks.

The skater first fell in her bid for gold at the women's 500m final, appearing to lose her balance and crash into the barriers after getting close to another competitor.

On Sunday, she crashed out of the women's 1,500m semi-final, falling on the last bend before being taken from the stadium on a stretcher.

Christie said under normal circumstances the injury would have kept her in recovery for six weeks, but that Olympic hopes drove her to race again on Tuesday.

"The worst that could happen is I'd damage it more... but for me it didn't matter," she said after the disqualification.

"I trained all my life for this, it was everything to me and... it's done."

She appeared philosophical despite the emotion that followed her final race, and social media was flooded with messages of support for her determination to keep competing despite repeated setbacks.

The athlete retweeted a photograph of a young fan who held a sign reading "Elise I think you are amazing", and pledged to return to the Beijing Olympics in 2022.

She said she did not know why she had received a yellow card.

"We did everything we could to turn this around. It wasn't meant to be," she said.