Star skater might be out for six weeks

Chinese female speed skating star Wang Meng is unlikely to compete at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games after undergoing a surgery in Shanghai on Thursday.

The 28-year-old injured her right ankle after a collision with a teammate when she was making a turn during relay training on Thursday.

She was taken to a hospital in Shanghai for surgery, about 20 minutes after the incident, with early examinations from the team physical therapist suggesting she suffered a fracture, news portal sina.com reported.

Chen Shiyi, a doctor with the hospital, told -reporters that Wang's chances of competing in Sochi would be based on her recovery progress.

"The athlete's health is the first priority. We won't violate our principles to pursue gold -medals," Chen said.

"Generally the recovery for an ankle fracture takes six weeks."

"This was very sudden … the team needs to be calm and do what should be done," said team leader Liu Hao.

Wang is among the most-decorated short track speed skaters of all time, and was the only Chinese athlete to defend the title at the Winter Olympic Games. She won the 500-meter speed skating race in 2006 in Turin and reclaimed the title in Vancouver in 2010.

She was once the world record holder for the women's 500-meter speed skating event, with 42.597 seconds, which she set in February 2013 in Dresden, Germany.

The skater was also among the medalists in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters events in -Turin. In Vancouver, she won the 1,000-meter event and as part of the Chinese national women's speed -skating team, she won the 3,000-meter relay event.

In addition, she was the three-time overall champion at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships and the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup.