Tragic injury for Japanese gymnast Hitomi Hatakeda, 21 years old: during a training on the asymmetrical bars for the final at the Gymnastics World Championships, taking place in Kitakyushu (Japan), she fell and broke her spine.
Hitomi Hatakeda, a Japanese gymnast, falls in training and breaks her spine
Hitomi fell while attempting a Komova (a transition element from low bar to high bar on uneven parallels) and slammed hard on the floor, ending up with full body weight on her face, with an unnatural twist of the neck and back.
The accident during training for the World Cup
She was immediately taken to hospital in an ambulance, in pain but conscious. The tests confirmed spinal cord damage and several bruises to the cervical vertebrae.
According to what was announced by the Japanese Federation, in the impact with the ground the gymnast suffered damage to the central spinal cord and fractures to the cervical vertebrae, but new tests and examinations will be carried out tomorrow.
Who is Hitomi Hatakeda
Hitomi, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics this summer, had just qualified for the all-around final at the ongoing World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, before being forced to retire: the final will be on Thursday. She had qualified with fourth place overall
Hitomi is trained by her mother, Yuriko, who is also a former gymnast. Her father Yoshiaki is a famous former Japanese gymnast, bronze medalist in the team competition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Her younger sister, Chiaki, is also a gymnast.
Source: Blitz Quotidiano