Top British gymnast Ondine Achampong tears ACL, may miss Paris Olympic Games

Top British gymnast Ondine Achampong is expected to miss this summer's Paris Olympics after announcing Monday that she tore her ACL.

The 20-year-old says she's "devastated" about the knee injury, which typically takes a year to recover from after surgery.

Achampong pulled out of the European Championships earlier this week. In a post on Instagram, she said the injury happened during a bars dismount at one of the final lead-up competitions in Lilleshall, England. An MRI scan showed she tore her ACL.

"I feel devastated. My competition preparation has been so positive all year and I really felt as ready as I could possibly be leading up to this summer."

Achampong was part of the British squad that took silver at the World Championships in 2022. She also won four gold medals at the British Gymnastics Championships in March.

Another British artistic gymnast, Jessica Gadirova, is questionable for the Paris Summer Olympics, too, after tearing her ACL last October.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.