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19 March 2024

Olympic crash landing: French gymnast suffers horrific leg break

France's Samir Ait Said holds his leg after injuring it while performing on the vault during the artistic gymnastics men’s qualification at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. (AP)

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By Staff

French gymnast Samir Ait Said suffered Olympic agony.

His lower left leg snapped and skewed to a gruesome angle when he landed awkwardly from a vault.

(AP)

Ait Said suffered further indignity after his devastating leg injury on Saturday – Olympics staffers dropped his stretcher as they were loading him into an ambulance.

As staff moved the 26-year-old’s stretcher towards the edge of the ambulance floor, they appeared to lose control, sending it falling heavily to the floor.

A worldwide audience was horrified when Ait Said’s left leg snapped as he landed a vault during the men’s qualifying competition, with the lower half of his shin dangling grotesquely after the bone audibly snapped.

(AP)

Ait Said covered his eyes with his right hand as he clutched the back of his knee while lying prostrate on the crash mat before officials ran to tend to him.

But it soon became apparent that he would take no further part in the Rio Games when he was lifted onto a stretcher that had been brought into the arena.

After a delay of several minutes, he was eventually wheeled out and raised one arm to acknowledge the loud cheer he received from the crowd.