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I’m distraught.” Went a fan on X as they clicked into day one of the Winter Games 2025. Why wouldn’t they be? The first elite gymnastics event of the year, which unfolds in Louisville, Kentucky, has been plagued by injuries; the likes of Stephen Nedoroscik and Brody Malone have pulled out of the event owing to their injuries. What went worse was the Illinois freshman having a serious fall on the very first day. If you’re pining for updates, fret not. The Illinois coach is here to your rescue.

USA Gymnastics took to Twitter to announce an update on Ian Sandoval‘s injury on 22nd February. The National Governing Body of Gymnastics in the United States tweeted a screenshot of Illinois head coach Daniel J Ribeiro’s Instagram story, speaking over Ian’s medical report he made it clear that the young gymnast was out of any danger citing, “Ian’s CT came back negative!🙏 he will be tested for a concussion and he has no idea how sore he is going to be tomorrow😅” Well, we sure hope he is not very sore.

The sigh of relief is a far fetch. The Illinois head coach made it obvious that he was moved by the people’s concerns and prayers, although there is no real respite till a positive concussion test result. He said, “For those of you who saw @ianssandoval10 scary fall at Winter Cup and came over to us and offered your prayers and genuine concern.. we felt it. It meant a lot. Thank you.” This experience has once again told Ribeiro about the wholesome nature of the gymnastics enthusiasts, “this was just another reminder to me, how incredible this gymnastics community is. Respect🤜🤛

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The 19-year-old himself realizes the beauty of the gymnastics community. He responded to his coach’s story, brimming with gratitude for all the love and affection, “Thanks everyone for reaching out with prayers and support. It means so much! I’m doing ok. Glad nothing serious happened.” Kameron Nelson would’ve had the same fate as Ian but Ohio State gymnast, but he somehow balanced himself and successfully performed the two triple saltos on floor.

The Illinois freshman was putting his routine on the rings when he fell and went still for a while. What followed was him getting strapped to a spinal board and being carted off the field of play. Ian was in excellent form and his departure was an enormous blow to the Illinois gymnastics team, who were already suffering from the loss of Hasan Aydogdu.

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What’s your perspective on:

Is the 2025 Winter Cup cursed with injuries, or just a test of true champions' resilience?

Have an interesting take?

Two in a row for Illinois’ Ian Sandoval

Icarus fell because he flew too close to the sun; something similar has happened to Ian Sandoval; the only difference is that he wasn’t blind-sighted by his overconfidence. The 2023 all-around national champion led the charge early in the season when the Fighting Illini won over Nebraska. What followed was his second consecutive College Gymnastics Association Rookie of the Week honor; this was his third.

It just didn’t stop there; he was awarded the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, Big Ten Freshman of the Week, and Inside Gymnastics’ NCAA Gymnast of the Week. Everyone had very high hopes for the 19-year-old who was rocking his debut season for Illinois in the Winter Cup.

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Despite the injury, day one went pretty smoothly. Riley Loos (Stanford) topped the all-around with 80.400, followed by Fred Richard (Michigan) at 79.900. Event leaders included Richard (Floor-14.050), Thackston (Pommel Horse-14.150), Diab (Rings-13.700), Nelson (Vault-13.875 avg.), Walker (Parallel Bars-14.050), and Andrews (High Bar-13.350).

The Curse of Injuries seems to be taking over the 2025 Winter Cup, many big names like the defending champion Yul Moldauer, are already missing out on the event and then Ian gets injured and it’s just been day one. What do you think the future holds?

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Is the 2025 Winter Cup cursed with injuries, or just a test of true champions' resilience?

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