Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, British swimmer Rebecca Adlington announced a Games-long Twitter hiatus because of vicious online harassers who criticized her looks. Now Twitter trolls appear to have already claimed their first 2014 Olympics victim in American figure skater Ashley Wagner.
Wagner's offense? Being named to the U.S. Olympic team over another skater.
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Wagner struggled through a dreadful performance in this weekend's national figure skating championships, placing fourth overall after falling on the ice twice. Skater Mirai Nagasu finished third at the competition.
But then Wagner was surprisingly selected for the third and final spot on the American women's figure skating team, which will compete in Sochi, Russia after the Olympics begin Feb. 7. Left off the team? Nagasu.
Analysts have cited Wagner's strong recent record at international competitions for her Olympic selection. But according to the Wall Street Journal, the Wagner-for-Nagasu snub marks the first time American figure skating authorities have completely disregarded the national figure skating championships when selecting the U.S. Olympic squad.
This ticked off Nagasu fans and skating purists alike. Some alleged that racism was at play in the decision. Some simply bemoaned it as the wrong strategic move. Many took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.
How bad was the hate? Wagner told People magazine on Monday that she's "officially decided to give up social media" until the Winter Olympics end.
"Twitter is a blessing and a curse at the same time," she told People. "It's tough to filter out the good things that you hear and the awful things that people will write, so I'm going cold turkey."
That's bad news for fans hoping to follow the Games online. But if a social-media break helps Wagner focus, her silence could prove golden.
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