Gymnast breaks both legs and dislocates knees in horrific fall after complicated floor routine goes wrong
A gymnast from Auburn University Samantha Cerio ended up breaking both her legs after she suffered from a horrific fall while performing an extremely complicated floor routine in a competition which took place over the weekend.
Cerio was attempting her first tumbling pass while performing the floor routine at the Baton Rouge Regional, on Friday, when the accident took place. Cerio, who is a senior on team Tigers had attempted a handspring double front but fell on to the mat as the crowd watched horrified. She had landed awkwardly when she attempted a double-front with a blind landing and was left in holding both her legs crying out due to the excruciating pain. One of the competition's commentators said, "I think she may be hurt" as doctors rushed to her aid.
"It looked like that ankle came down very awkwardly and she is obviously in some pain," the commentator added. It was reported that Cerio had ended up dislocating both her knees and broke both of her legs. As a result of the accident, she was taken out on a stretcher with air casts on both of her legs while the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Auburn coach Jeff Graba told Nola.com, "It was pretty tough to watch. She's a trooper. The last thing she said was, 'Go help the girls'."
Later that day, Cerio took to her Instagram handle and said that Friday had been her "final night as a gymnast". She wrote in a post, "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 roadblocks 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," she continued. For the rest of Friday's event, the Tigers rallied for Cerio and were able to earn their second-highest overall score all season. They were able to move ahead to Saturday's Regional Final against Louisiana State University, Minnesota, and Utah but came fourth and fell short of the nationals. Graba added, "I think we were out of gas. Emotionally spent. But I thought the girls fought hard. They did a great job."
Even though Cerio's time on the mat had ended, she has an exciting and promising future ahead of her. The senior who had been named SEC co-scholar athlete of the year will be graduating this year with a degree in aerospace engineering. She is also due to get married this June and will be heading to Seattle to start working for Boeing.