Number 12 Kerri Strug Kerri Strug’s performance at the 1996 Olympics
immortalized her as a sports hero, but took a heavy toll. Coming into the vault event,
the Russian team had a narrow lead. Before Strug’s vault, her teammates had struggled
to land cleanly. Strug also under-rotated on her first attempt and severely injured
her ankle. The gymnast had heard a snap and, under any other circumstances, this would’ve
meant the end of the Olympics for her. However, knowing her team needed another solid vault,
a limping Strug pushed through the excruciating pain for one more attempt. She landed the
vault cleanly, mostly on her one good leg, and hopped as she saluted the judges. A grimace
on Strug’s face revealed the pain she was in as she fell to her knees in agony. The
Russians had dominated women’s gymnastics up to that point, but Strug’s iron will
was instrumental in helping her team earn the US’ first gold medal. Her coach carried
her to the podium and she was later treated for tendon damage and a third-degree lateral
sprain. Number 11 Samantha Cerio
Auburn University gymnast Samantha Cerio was forced to retire from the sport after a horrific
fall during a competition. It happened as she was making the first pass during the floor
routine. At the end of a handspring double front flip, Cerio landed short and both her
legs bent backwards at the knees. The momentum of the double rotation added to the impact
and Cerio shattered her knees. The 22-year-old was carried out on a stretcher. While her
career as a gymnast was over, Cerio did recover from the injury and was even able to walk
down the aisle at her wedding, only a few months later.
Number 10 Adrienne Nyeste During a routine at the uneven bars, Hungarian
gymnast Adrienne Nyeste took one of the worst falls in Olympic history. As she was preparing
her final move, the gymnast lost control and flew from the high bar, landing face-first
on the mat. Nyeste would lie motionless on the ground for the next few seconds. Everyone
in attendance feared the worst as the gymnast was being checked on. Fortunately, she rose
to her feet, having narrowly avoided what could’ve been a devastating injury. Similar
falls typically ended in anything from broken bones to paralysis.
Number 9 Julissa Gomez In May of 1988, during the warmups of a competition
final in Tokyo, American gymnast Julissa Gomez was gearing up to perform an extremely difficult
vault. Called the Yurchenko vault, it involved a handspring and multiple twists. According
to her coach and teammates, her technique was flawed and inconsistent when performing
the vault during practices. Nevertheless, Gomez’s coaches pushed her to pursue it,
believing it would earn her higher points. During the warmups, Gomez raced towards the
vault but slipped off the springboard and hit the vaulting horse head-first at full
speed. She became paralyzed from the neck down. A subsequent incident in a Japanese
hospital then resulted in her being disconnected from her ventilator. Gomez went into a coma.
Her family continued to care for her for three more years until she succumbed to an infection
in 1991.
Number 8 Melanie Coleman In 2019, All-American college gymnast Melanie
Coleman suffered a brutal spinal cord injury during practice. At the time she was training
on the uneven bars, an apparatus she’d worked with countless times. Coleman was a team captain
for the women's gymnastics squad at Southern Connecticut State University and, according
to her coaches, had attained the highest level in the USA Junior Olympics Program. In what
was described as a freak accident the 20-year-old slipped and took a hard fall, irreparably
damaging her spine. She died in the hospital two days later and her family subsequently
donated her organs, a gesture through which they hoped her spirit would live on.
Number 7 Shun Fujimoto At the 1976 Summer Olympics, in Montreal,
Shun Fujimoto earned his place in the history of gymnastics. During the competition, he
performed an impressive feat of endurance and personal sacrifice that, unfortunately,
lead to his permanent retirement. At some point over the course of his floor routine,
Fujimoto severely injured his right knee. He didn’t tell anyone and participated in
the team event right away. In spite of his badly damaged knee, Fujimoto scored a 9.5
on the pommel horse as well as 9.7 on the rings. He displayed exceptional focus during
both events. As one doctor put it "How he managed to do somersaults and twists and land
without collapsing in screams is beyond my comprehension." However, dismounting the rings
would seal Fujimoto’s gymnastics career. His knees bent to absorb the impact and his
right leg started to wobble, nearly collapsing. He was limping, but managed to walk back to
his seat without falling. By pushing himself, Fujimoto had aggravated what had already been
a severe injury and not only tore ligaments but also dislocated his broken kneecap. Doctors
told him that by continuing to compete he risked permanent disability.
Number 6 Sang Lan In July of 1998, at the Goodwill Games, in
New York City, promising gymnast Sang Lan suffered a career-ending and life-altering
injury. During the warmups, Sang was performing a routine vault to familiarize herself with
the apparatus. However, something went horribly wrong. The 17-year-old fell directly on her
head after mistiming her landing. She couldn’t get up from the mat on her own and was taken
straight to a trauma center. Sang underwent cervical spine fusion and spinal realignment.
Despite doctors’ best efforts, the damage to her spine was too severe and Sang was left
paralyzed from her mid-chest down. Strangely enough, Sang would later claim that her injury
was caused by the coach of another team, who’d removed a mat from her landing area during
her push-off. Chinese officials reportedly refused to believe Sang and attributed her
accusation to brain damage. She also claimed to have been abruptly abandoned by the Chinese
National Gymnastics team after she’d become paralyzed.
Number 5 Ellie Downie During the qualification round at the 2016
Olympics, Ellie Downie fell squarely on her neck halfway through her floor routine. The
17-year-old had tried to perform a flip with two-and-a-half twists but lost control and
couldn’t get her body all the way around. Fortunately, she’d briefly managed to break
the fall with her legs before landing on her neck. The British gymnast tried to ignore
the pain and finish her routine. However, before making her final tumbling pass she
opted to leave the competition mat. She was placed in a wheelchair and would later tell
a media outlet that she’d heard a crunch in her neck. After getting checked by the
medical staff, Downie opted to return to the floor and completed two more vaults, which
she landed strongly on both times. Number 4 Jessica Gil Ortiz
In 2009, a crowd of thousands, attending the World Championships at London’s O₂ arena,
fell silent after witnessing Jessica Gil Ortiz take a hard fall during her floor routine.
She was the first Colombian gymnast to qualify for the floor finals in the competition. The
19-year-old was about to finish a high-flying tumbling sequence with a double front summersault.
Ortiz over-rotated and fell face-first at an awkward ankle. The momentum of her rotation
carried on as her neck bent and she sprung forward. She remained curled up in the fetal
positions as her coach and paramedics rushed to the mat to help her. Ortiz couldn’t finish
her routine and was carried out of the arena on a stretcher. Fortunately, she recovered
and, after missing a few competitions, even qualified for the 2012 Olympics.
Number 3 Jacoby Miles While practicing a move she’d landed dozens
of times before, gymnast Jacoby Miles sustained an injury that would change her life forever.
The teenager lost control during the second rotation of a double back dismount and fell
directly on her neck. She instantly couldn’t feel anything from her chest down. Several
vertebrae in Miles’ spine had become dislodged. Doctors were optimistic about her eventually
being able to move her upper limbs but claimed only a miracle would enable her to walk again.
Her family hoped that the teen’s competitive drive would help her on the long road to recovery.
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Number 2 North Korean Gymnast During a circus festival in Russia, a North
Korean gymnast attempted to break the somersault world record. The aim was to successfully
complete six somersaults before landing, something no other athlete had done before. As another,
more massive, performer jumped on the opposite end of a see-saw, the gymnast was launched
high up into the air. Other performers followed the jump with a thick mat, ready to break
the gymnast’s fall. Unfortunately, the man landed on his neck. He hit the mat from great
height and, even though it somewhat softened the impact, the gymnast instantly lost consciousness.
While the extent of his injuries remains unknown, one of the circus trainers claimed he couldn’t
feel his hands or feet. Subsequent reports speculated that the injury might’ve left
him paralyzed. Even if he did recover, the performer would’ve potentially been reprimanded
in North Korea. The regime has little tolerance for whatever it regards as athletic failure
and has been known to send athletes to labor camps.
Number 1 Samir Ait Said During the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,
the crowd watching Samir Ait Said’s vault let out a collective gasp upon witnessing
his disastrous landing. The gymnast had shattered his left shin with a crack that echoed in
the arena. He remained on the mat in shock and, as he held his left leg below the knee,
the lower part of his ankle and foot dangled in the opposite direction. Ait Said took one
look at his mangled leg and instantly realized the horrific extent of the injury. To make
matters worse, the French gymnast had qualified for the final on the rings, but his Olympic
hopes for 2016 were cut down by the accident. He was rushed to the hospital where he needed
emergency surgery as he’d broken both his tibia and fibula. Ait Said eventually recovered
and confidently claimed that he would be returning to future Olympic events.
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