Olympic gymnast suffers horrific face injury while performing dangerous stunt ahead of final competition
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: NBC
Brazilian athlete Flavia Saraiva was forced to make a quick recovery for the gymnastics final after she suffered a brutal injury.
Saraiva, 24, was just warming up for her appearance in the all-around team finals for the 2024 Paris Olympics on 30 July when she suddenly lost her grip.
The gymnast had been practising her routine on the uneven bars, and was spinning around the eight-foot-high bar when she suddenly slipped off.
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Saraiva crashed to the ground, kneeing herself in the eye in the process.
She remained on the mat for a few moments while her coach checked on her, before she rolled out of the way to allow her teammates to warm up.
Saraiva could be seen with her head in her hands, but she didn't have much time to recover before taking on the event for real.
Speaking about her incident, per the Metro, she explained: "I could not see, it bled, but the team’s doctor told me everything was all right.
"I believe my knee hit my eye when I tripped. It’s not the first time it happened to me. We are warriors."
The gymnast appeared at the final with a band-aid over one eyebrow and dark bruising around one of her eyes, but she didn't let the setback get the better of her.
She continued as planned, and even managed to secure a medal as she came in third place behind Italy and the US, which won gold as Simone Biles secured a total of 171.296.
Saraiva later told Globo that she became disorientated in the accident, saying: "When I realized I was on the floor, lying down with my knee in my face. I just rolled over so Rebeca could warm up.
"I said, ‘guys, where am I?’. Then Chico said, ‘it’s bleeding, it’s bleeding’. I put my hand on my face and my eye was bleeding, I didn’t understand anything. Then he asked if I was warm. Then I said, ‘now I’m awake’."
Fans praised Saraiva for her perseverance after the event, with viewers taking to social media to describe her as a 'hero' and a 'star'.
Rich Lerner, a commentator for NBC, added: "‘She left to get medical attention but she is back. She’s tough."
Saraiva has previously competed in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, but her success in Paris marks the first time she has taken home a medal.