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American Gymnast Breaks Both Her Legs And Suffers Double Knee Dislocation In Horror Fall

American Gymnast Breaks Both Her Legs And Suffers Double Knee Dislocation In Horror Fall

Seriously, don't watch this if you're squeamish...

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A college gymnast in the United States was carried from the floor on a stretcher after breaking both her legs attempting an acrobatic move.

Before we get started, here's a warning that the video footage of this is not for the faint hearted. In fact, it bears repeating for a second time that this isn't something that you should watch if you're eating your breakfast.

Anyway, let's get it over with - you'll need to skip to around the 39 minute mark.

Auburn University's Samantha Cerio suffered the horrific injuries during the Baton Rouge Regional, an event on the National Collegiate Athletic Association calendar.

The horrendous moment.
Youtube

Cerio was attempting her first go at a handspring double front flip with a blind landing - one for the gymnastics experts out there - but came up just short and sent both her legs bending backwards unnaturally.

The exact injuries haven't been identified exactly by Auburn University, but Nola.com reported that she broke both legs and dislocated her knees. Painful stuff, and that's just watching it.

Her coach, Jeff Graba, said afterwards: "It was pretty tough to watch,

"She's a trooper. The last thing she said was, 'Go help the girls.' The girls rallied around her. They're doing this for her right now."

Naturally, her teammates were also quite shaken up after seeing the incident. They rallied around her and created the hashtag #StickItForSam in honour of their teammate, who Coach Graba described as the "heart and soul" of the team.

Cerio posted this photo on Instagram afterwards.
Instagram

He added: "We wanted more than anything to do this for her."

Despite their best efforts, the team finished fourth overall, according to their website. Graba added: "I think we were out of gas,

"Emotionally spent. But I thought the girls fought hard. They did a great job."

After the event, Cerio tweeted a picture of herself in happier times, but announced that the event would be her last as a gymnast.

She said: "Friday night was my final night as a gymnast. After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind.

"I couldn't be prouder of the person that gymnastics has made me to become. It's taught me hard work, humility, integrity, and dedication, just to name a few.

"It's given me challenges and road blocks that I would have never imagined that has tested who I am as a person. It may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned."

Let's hope she makes a full recovery.
YouTube

She continued: "Thank you Auburn family for giving me a home and a chance to continue doing the sport that will always be my first love.

"I am honored to have had the privilege to represent the navy and orange AU for the past 4 years with my team by my side.

"Thank you for letting me share my passion with you. Thank you for letting me be a part of something bigger than myself."

Let's all hope that she makes a full recovery, and quickly.

Featured Image Credit: Instagram

Topics: SPORT, US News, US