Finnish hockey star, Olympian Sanni Hakala paralyzed from chest down after in-game collision

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Two-time Olympian and Finnish hockey player Sanni Hakala announced that a recent collision during a game left her paralyzed from the chest down. 

She also said the functions in her arms and hands have been reduced following the accident in last week's Swedish Women's Hockey League game. Hakala is the captain of HV71.

A few minutes into the game against Djurgården on Friday, she collided with the goalpost. She was taken off the ice via a stretcher, and the game was postponed.

Hakala was eventually taken to a nearby hospital, where she later underwent surgery to address neck injuries, according to a statement from HV71, which was translated into English.

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Sanni Hakala, 23 of Team Finland, skates against Team Japan in the third period during the Womens Ice Hockey Quarterfinal match between Team Finland and Team Japan on Day 8 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Wukesong Sports Centre on Feb. 12, 2022 in Beijing. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

"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," Hakala wrote in a statement on Instagram.

"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. The injury I sustained last Friday after colliding with the goal post has left me paralyzed from the chest down, with reduced function in my arms and hands. That’s the reality I’m trying to land in."

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