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<\/p>\nA freak accident has left Finnish ice hockey star Sanni Hakala paralysed from the chest down after she collided with a goalpost.<\/p>\n
Last week whilst captaining Swedish Women's Hockey League side HV71 against Djurgardens, Hakala collided with the post during the match and had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher with the match postponed. She was immediately rushed to hospital and underwent surgery.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately however for Hakala, who has won two bronze medals for Finland at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, the 26-year-old in now paralysed from the chest down, with her arms and hands functioning at a reduced capacity.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/b>Adam Johnson death investigators arrest man on suspicion of manslaughter<\/b><\/p>\n
READ MORE: Adam Johnson's grieving family react to man's arrest over 'manslaughter' of ice hockey star<\/b><\/p>\n
In a heartbreaking post to social media, Hakala said: "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.<\/p>\n
"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.<\/p>\n
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She added: "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\u2019s the reality I\u2019m trying to land in."<\/p>\n
Hakala added: "I understand that I am now facing a long and hard fight with my body and the toughest game of my life. Now I need to focus all my energy on the rehabilitation so that I can recover as well as possible.<\/p>\n
"This situation obviously sucks, but I\u2019m not scared to take it on. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to do next, but I know it will be f***ing awesome." The awful news about Hakala comes weeks after the ice hockey community was hit hard by the passing of Adam Johnson.<\/p>\n
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The 29-year-old, who had previously played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, tragically lost his life at the end of October when his throat was slit on the ice by a skating blade during the Nottingham Panthers clash with the Sheffield Steelers, with the match abandoned in the wake of the tragedy.<\/p>\n