US varsity gymnast seriously injures both legs in horrific fall

Turn away if you're squeamish.

A video of US varsity gymnast Samantha Cerio's gruesome fall which dislocated both her knees has gone viral across social media.

Footage from a floor routine at the Baton Rouge Regional NCAA last Friday night (April 5) showed the 22-year-old landing awkwardly after a handspring. 

She fell backwards from the hard landing, with her right leg seeming to bear the brunt of the impact.

Cerio sat on the floor clutching her knees, her face twisted in agony as medical staff rushed to her aid.

The video can be seen below, but fair warning, it may be distressing to some.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3oqr1yx38[/embed]

"It was pretty tough to watch," said Auburn Unversity coach Jeff Graba said as her teammates rallied behind her. The crowd gave her a standing ovation while she was stretchered off.

According to reports, Cerio dislocated both her knees and suffered torn ligaments from the gruesome fall, with some reports indicating that she'd broken both her legs.

The unfortunate injury has also forced the aerospace engineering major into retirement after 18 years in the sport. She wrote on Instagram on Sunday:

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv9ncoRn-Eh/[/embed]

"Friday night was my final night as a gymnast. After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind.

"I couldn’t be prouder of the person that gymnastics has made me to become. It’s taught me hard work, humility, integrity, and dedication, just to name a few. It’s given me challenges and roadblocks that I would have never imagined that has tested who I am as a person.

"It may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned."

[embed]https://twitter.com/sam_cerio/status/1115071851154243585[/embed]

Still, Cerio is set to soar in a new direction, as she has reportedly secured a place in Boeing, where she plans to work on rockets as a structural design analysis engineer.

candicecai@asiaone.com