An American figure skater has been accused of colliding into a 16-year-old Korean rival in the final warm-up session ahead of the opening of the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan. Lim Eun-soo sustained a gash to her calf as she prepared to compete in the ladies’ short programme at the championships. Her agency accused Mariah Bell of intentionally injuring Ms Lim with the blade of her skate. In echoes of the infamous incident involving US skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan in January 1994, Ms Lee’s representatives have claimed there are sufficient grounds to believe Ms Bell’s act was premeditated. A representative of All That Sports told Yonhap News that during the official rehearsal period, “Lim was slowly skating on the edge of the rink after completing her turn. Mariah Bell, who was scheduled to rehearse after Lim, suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim’s calf with her skate blades. “Mariah Bell didn’t apologise to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine”, the official added. “We believe this is not a minor situation that can happen in an official rehearsal. “We have asked the Korea Skating Union to file an official complaint against Mariah Bell for her intentional infliction of Lim Eun-soo’s injury”.<doc-sep>An American figure skater was accused of bullying and purposely cutting a South Korean skater during warm-ups at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan on Wednesday. Mariah Bell, 22, allegedly kicked competitor Lim Eun-soo, 16, during warm-ups before the women’s short program competition, the South Korean skater's management agency claimed, according to the AFP. Lim, who is competing in her first senior world championships, received medical attention, was treated and was able to compete. The South Korean teen ended up scoring 72.91 points, a personal best, to take fifth place in the short program. Bell finished in sixth place with 71.26 points. JOHN COUGHLIN, TWO-TIME US PAIRS SKATING CHAMPION, DIES BY SUICIDE DAY AFTER BEING SUSPENDED An official for All That Sports, Lim’s management agency, told Yonhap News that Lim was “slowly skating on the edge of the rink after completing her turn” when Bell, who was slated to warm-up after her, “suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim’s calf with her skate blades.” “Mariah Bell didn’t apologize to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine,” the official told Yonhap News. Bell, who trains under the same coach as Lim, was accused of “bullying Lim for months,” All That Sports agency claimed, according to local media. ALYSA LIU, 13, BECOMES YOUNGEST WINNER OF INDIVIDUAL TITLE AT US FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS The agency told AFP that they asked the Korean Skating Union to file a complaint with the International Skating Union regarding the incident. "At this stage we can't conclude Bell caused the injury on purpose," a Korean Skating Union official told AFP. "It is hard to tell just by watching the video footage of the incident." Social media users appeared to be divided on the incident. “The problem with Mariah Bell was that she was skating too close to the edge and her blade stabbed into Eunsoo’s leg. Putting all bullying rumors aside, shouldn’t she have apologized? I get that athletes on that level are very 'in' their moment once they start to compete,” a social media user tweeted. “People stop harassing Mariah Bell on [Instagram] before all the facts getting cleared out. Those comments are just atrocious and show how vile humans can be. Wait for the official statements and then make your judgments. What if it turns out that Mariah is in fact innocent?” another tweet read.<doc-sep>A 16-year-old female Korean figure skater has called for an investigation after an American skater allegedly slashed her with a skate during warm-ups at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Korean skater Lim Eun-soo charged that 22-year-old Mariah Bell slashed her calf from behind during a collision as the pair warmed up on the ice on Thursday. “Lim was slowly skating on the edge of the rink after completing her turn. Mariah Bell, who was scheduled to rehearse after Lim, suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim’s calf with her skate blades,” a representative for Lim told wire service Agence France Presse. “Mariah Bell didn’t apologize to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine,” the rep added. Lim Eun-soo suffered a cut to her leg but was still able to compete at the event, finishing fifth ahead of the sixth-placed American. According to reports, the International Skating Union investigated the incident and claimed that it found no evidence that the American skater purposefully harmed her Korean opponent. According to TMZ, the organization released a statement saying: ‘The incident was verbally reported to the ISU by the Korean Team Leader however no formal complaint has been received,’ the ISU said in a statement. ‘Based on the evidence at hand at this point in time, which includes a video, there is no evidence that Ms. Bell intended any harm to Ms. Lim.’ ‘The ISU met with delegates from both USA and Korea and urged both parties to find an amicable solution. The ISU maintains that this remains the appropriate approach.’ Neither Mariah Bell nor American skating authorities have made a statement about the incident. Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.<doc-sep>
U.S. figure skater Mariah Bell, 22, is under investigation after allegedly slashing her South Korean competitor with her skate during a Wednesday practice. 16-year-old Lim Eun-soo claims Bell crashed into her on purpose during the final warmup at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships and intentionally left a gash in Eun-soo’s calf, according to the New York Post. The incident, which is similar to the time Tonya Harding was accused of hiring someone to injure her rival during the 1994 Winter Games, seemed to be premeditated, according to a rep from the Korean sports agency All That Sports. Eun-soo had been skating near the outer edges of the rink for space when Bell crashed into her from behind and “suddenly kicked and stabbed Lim’s calf with her skate blades” the spokesperson told Yonhap News. (RELATED: Olympic Figure Skaters Credit God In Unlikely In Return To God) “Mariah Bell didn’t apologize to Lim Eun-soo after the incident and instead continued to rehearse for her routine. We believe this is not a minor situation that can happen in an official rehearsal,” the spokesperson said. Eun-soo went on to compete in the ladies short program despite the injury to her calf and even placed fifth overall beating out Bell who placed sixth. All That Sports has requested that the Korea Skating Union file a complaint against Bell. Both skaters are trained by the same Los Angeles coach and Eun-soo’s rep claims Bell has been bullying and harassing Eun-soo leading up to the competition. Added Update: The International Skating Union says they received a verbal complaint but have yet to receive a formal complaint, according to a statement obtained by TMZ. “Based on the evidence at hand at this point in time, which includes a video, there is no evidence that Ms. Bell intended any harm to Ms. Lim,” the ISU said.