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Britain's top gymnast Ondine Achampong is expected to miss this summer's Paris Olympics after announcing on Monday she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The 20-year-old said she was “absolutely devastated” by her knee injury, which typically takes a year to recover from surgery.
Achampong was eliminated from the European Championships earlier this week. In a post on her Instagram, she said that the injury occurred while lowering the bar during one of the final lead-up competitions at the Releath Hall in England. An MRI scan revealed a torn ACL.
“I am devastated. My competition preparations have been very positive all year and I feel ready for this summer.”
Acampong was part of the British squad that won silver at the 2022 World Championships. She also won four gold medals at the British Gymnastics Championships in March.
Another British artistic gymnast, Jessica Gadirova, is also uncertain about participating in the Paris Summer Olympics due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in October last year.