“WORLD CUP BARS🥈So excited for floor finals tomorrow!” was the last update from a budding 18-year-old gymnast before a devastating reality knocked on her door.

As the British-American gymnast Charlotte Booth, now representing the Auburn Tigers (2026-2029, made her way to Cottbus, Germany, her three-day competitive gymnastics stint started on a definite high. A 13.266 in the bars qualification round saw her make her way to the finals. Keeping up the momentum, she then scored 13.300 to make a podium finish on the apparatus. Naturally, this lifted her spirits for her next event, the floor finals, where she probably looked to improve her qualification score of 12.933 and upgrade her bars silver to a floor gold.

However, as Booth attempted her first double back tuck during the routine, she appeared to stumble while landing. But that was not the end of her struggles, as, during a third attempt of the same, Booth once again stumbled, but this time, landing on both her knees with a painful thud, and the impact sending her lower body halfway into the air before she stabilized herself. As the young gymnast attempted to stand up—which she did for a brief moment—to continue her routine, but she clutched her right ankle and sat back down with a downcast expression, amid a collective breath of shock.

Immediately after, as the entire stadium erupted in applause to pay respect to the young girl’s sportsmanship, a team member was seen running across to help her. Soon, the music stopped, and three more personnel rushed beside her to analyze the injury. The scene then cut to Booth being carried off the floor as audiences cheered her on amid the devastating set of events. The graveness of the injury was yet to be confirmed, but when it did, it seemed like the ground had shattered from under Booth’s feet…

The 2024 British Olympic team alternate’s 10.000 routine, ultimately saw her take up the last spot on the floor finals’ list, with a 3.0 difficulty score and a 7 on execution. But, it wasn’t the pain of losing the event that trembled her with fear. It was the uncertainty of her career that did. On February 26, the Tigers gymnast revealed the extent of the damage on Instagram…

Accompanied by photos of the incident, the caption read, “Unfortunately, during floor finals in the World Cup in Germany this past weekend, I ruptured my Achilles. Even though I knew immediately what happened, it was devastating to have the doctors confirm my worst fear. I was so excited for my upcoming competitions and I am still coming to terms with this injury ending my elite career. 💔” However, she’s not one to give up.

“I had surgery this morning and will begin my recovery process to get back to doing what I love. I am so thankful to everyone who has been a part of my elite journey and for British Gymnastics who made my dreams reality. It has been more than I could’ve ever asked for and I will always be grateful for all of the support,” she further wrote.

Having signed with the Tigers in November last year, Booth’s list of achievements for the nation has been pretty lengthy. And 2024 had been her best year so far. The Park Wrekin Gymnastics club star took the Senior All Around crown at the British Team Championships last year, and was just coming into her element as a bars specialist after the 2024 Szombathely Challenge bars gold.

But as she takes this tough call, Booth has still managed to give a glimmer of hope to her fans who wish for her presence on the mats, writing, “Despite the heartbreak and my season being cut short, I am excited to be moving on to the next chapter of my gymnastics career as an Auburn Tiger this summer. Elite gymnastics may not have ended the way I hoped, but I know it’s the start of something new in God’s timing.❤️‍🩹” 

Notably, this comes more than a year after Booth revealed how she’s well aware of the injuries she’ll be facing in both her college and Elite career. Talking about her toughest challenges, the teenager had said in 2023, to Inside Gymnastics Magazine’s Christy Sandmaier, “The most challenging thing has definitely been injuries and growing. And I know that’s just a part of the sport. Some of mine have just been bad timing and held me back from some possible assignments. It’s normal, and it’s just a part of sport. But one thing I’ve learned about myself, I would say–and I’ve actually written it inside of my grip–is that it’s ‘You Versus You’. And it’s just so true because I am my biggest competitor.”

“And when you realize that, it makes it a lot easier not to compare yourself to others. They may be better at floor, but I might have better bars or artistry, and that’s okay because we all have a journey and everyone is different and has a different path,” she concluded.

Having said that, what exactly was that glimmer of hope that Booth gave us in her Instagram update?

Well, it simply means that fans need not be entirely heartbroken. They will get to see her return to the gymnastics mats soon, only for a different team.

Charlotte Booth’s Auburn gymnastics debut remains on the cards

“A dream of mine for as long as I remember.” That’s what Charlotte Booth had to say about joining Auburn Gymnastics. In 2024, when Booth rejoined the English Championships, she’d added dual citizenship of the United States and United Kingdom. She had even made clear that her focus remains on continuing to train and compete in the U.S., but she is “open to the opportunities” that may come her way.

No wonder, she chose to compete for Team Great Britain all through 2024, the big Olympic year. Luckily, that turned out to be a standout in her career! However, after she made her mark competing for GB through 2024, in November, she made things official, signing up with Auburn. Yes, as part of the recruiting class of 2025, Booth was all set to make her Auburn debut in 2026. And especially, if she gets to compete where her favorite gymnast did, isn’t that like icing on the cake already?

Talking to Sandmaier, she had revealed, “I love Suni [Lee] and I know she loved it there, and she was so amazing there, so I’ve looked up to her forever!”

Thankfully, Booth’s Auburn stint still remains on the cards. Despite injuring herself and bidding adieu to Team GB forever, she just voiced that she’ll still return to the US gymnastics mats as a War Eagle! So we can call this a bittersweet update. What do you think? Let us know below!