Sanni Hakala, an ice hockey player from Finland, has announced that she is paralysed from the chest down after a collision with a goalpost during a club game on Friday (24 November).
The two-time Olympic bronze medallist was captaining her team HV71 in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League when the crash happened.
The game was cancelled after Hakala was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
“It is still hard to understand what has happened, that the crash into the goal post was as serious as it was, that the consequences have become so big,” read a message on the 26-year-old’s social media platforms on Thursday (30 November).
“Not only that I am forced to stop playing hockey, something that has been a big part of my life for many years, but that I may be forced to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.”
Hakala also revealed that she has limited function in her arms and hands following the accident.
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Hakala was a star of the Finland team, having made her international debut for their Under-18s in 2012.
She went on to win Olympic bronze medals as a forward at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, in addition to a silver and two bronzes at the world championships.
“I understand that I am now facing a long and hard fight with my body and the toughest game of my life,” her message continued. “This situation obviously sucks but I’m not scared to take it on.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do next but I know it will be [expletive] awesome!”
