It’s heartbreaking when a journey ends sooner than expected, right? In gymnastics, though, it’s almost part of the deal. You’ve got to be in top physical fitness just to compete, but ironically, staying that way is just as challenging. This often leads to crushed dreams, like the one a fifth-year senior from Alabama recently experienced.

Cameron Machado’s unanticipated announcement has been taking the gymnastics world by storm. When she was missing from the Alabama meets the first three times this season, fans anticipated, something was wrong. However, the hope was still alive. Even though head coach Ashley Johnston didn’t offer a definitive timeline, the possibility was still there. But now, that hope has officially faded.

On January 28, Cameron Machado announced her retirement from the sport. She took to her social media account to inform her fans, “After careful consideration, I have decided to medically retire from gymnastics at the University of Alabama. This school, and more specifically this program, has given me so much and I will always be grateful for the experiences, growth, relationships and memories I’ve gained along the way.”

The 21-year-old gymnast further wrote, “I’ve had the honor of contributing to this amazing team both on and off the floor, and I will always cherish my time at The Capstone.” Machado, however, leaves with a bounty of memories in her heart, which she expressed in the form of a moving statement for her Alabama gymnastics team. “To my teammates, y’all will be my sisters for life. Thank you for giving me a second family,” she wrote.

But we aren’t ruling out the fact that this call was way too surprising. Back in June 2024, Machado announced her return to NCAA gymnastics for her final year. Needless to say, fans were naturally expecting fireworks after she wrote, “Making the decision to come back for a fifth year was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I still have more to give to this program and I can’t wait to run it back for my final year.” However, this is not the end they’d hoped for, which is naturally upsetting for the Alabama and gymnastics followers in general.

Yet, in light of Cameron Machado’s recent medical retirement, our minds go back to the ones that have happened in the sport over the past few years. Yes, every fan probably has that one athlete they still miss after a heartbreaking medical retirement. Sure, the numbers may not be concerning for now. But there is a pattern that cannot be ignored. Multiple gymnasts have had to bid farewell to NCAA gymnastics sooner than expected. And you can bet none of those decisions came easy.

NCAA gymnastics stars who suffered the same fate as Cameron Machado

Right at the top of the list, we have Team USA star and Tokyo Olympics all-around champion, Sunisa Lee. Back in 2023, Suni Lee had announced an early retirement from her Auburn collegiate career due to her Kidney disease. At 20, she’d cited the reason to be a “non-gymnastics related issue involving my kidneys.” Well, walking away from the NCAA gymnastics mats wasn’t easy, but prioritizing her health and recovery was the only option.

Next up, we have LSU’s Zoe Miller, who faced a similar situation. In April 2024, she announced her retirement from elite gymnastics to focus on recovering from an injury and preparing for her college career. Just days before the 2024 Winter Cup, she suffered a shoulder injury that, despite therapy and rest, wasn’t healing as quickly as she’d hoped. This meant her elite career had ended.

And let’s not forget Alabama’s loss in 2023 when Zoe Gravier became one of the first gymnasts that year to announce her medical retirement. A former U.S. elite gymnast and 2020 national team member, Gravier trained at Twin City Twisters before competing for Alabama. On November 1, 2023, she took to Instagram, posting nostalgic gymnastics photos as she shared the difficult news with fans, due to her back-to-back knee surgeries.

Thus, medical retirements have been a growing threat to NCAA gymnastics and potentially thriving careers in the past few years. What do you think about that? Let us know below!