An Auburn University gymnast broke both legs while performing at a NCAA regional event in Louisiana on Friday.
Samantha Cerio, a senior aerospace engineering major from North Carolina, was performing her floor exercise at the Baton Rouge Regional Semifinal when, while attempting to make a blind landing on a tumbling pass, the gymnast was unable to stick the landing. The impact dislocated both of her knees and broke both her legs, sources told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Video of the incident showed Cerio's legs buckling as she toppled back on the mat. She appeared to clutch her legs in agony, prompting officials to briefly stop the meet. Paramedics placed air casts around both her legs and carried her out on a stretcher, with the audience giving the gymnast a standing ovation.
"It was pretty tough to watch," Auburn's coach, Jeff Graba told Times-Picayune. "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."
ByR.J. Johnson - @rickerthewriter
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