The 16-year-old ice queen is an outside chance of winning a medal on Wednesday, February 24, but as many viewers have witnessed at previous winter Olympics, strange circumstances can propel underdogs to instant fame.

The late withdrawal of Israeli skater Tamar Katz allowed the Mount Carmel High School student to gain a late call up. Lee has defied the odds to compete in her chosen sport at the highest level. She sustained multiple stress fractures in her spine when she was involved in a vehicle pile-up in the United States in December 2007, during a six-week stint in the country training with top ice skating coaches.

Lee recuperated through a recovery program, under the guidance of her coach Kylie Fennell and physiotherapists and sports scientists.