Falls. Injuries. Backouts. If there is one pattern that has been constant this gymnastics season, it is this. It’s almost like every time an athlete leaps up in the air nowadays, the spectator’s heartbeat shoots up. Will they land perfectly or won’t they? This question has probably started haunting them. No wonder, as soon as the latest update about two more gymnasts scratching from the 2025 season surfaced, gymnastics fans voiced a concerning observation. And what is that?

Well, gymnastics fans were quick to join the dots: the number of leg injuries that have happened to gymnasts this season is unbelievable. Actually, they have a point, don’t they? Think about it! Just this week, a tragedy occurred in the British elite gymnastics tent when Charlotte Booth had to end her elite career after a nasty fall on the floor at the World Cup in Germany. Booth ended up rupturing her Achilles, which again remains one commonality in most leg injury cases. And now, another male gymnast has joined the lot.

On March 1, news broke out about the German gymnast, Pascal Brendel’s foot injury. As per the Instagram update, Brendel fell on the horizontal bar during training last week and broke a metatarsal bone. Due to this, he will have to take a break for several months until he recovers and will not be able to take part in the European Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig scheduled to be held between May 26 to May 31, 2025. Currently, the injury has left Brendel’s foot heavily plastered, right from inches below his knee to the toes. Clearly, this is a major setback for the side because Brendel had been the German Champion on the pommel horse in 2022 and on the vault in 2023. His skills need no introduction!

But that’s not it. As mentioned, two gymnasts have scratched from the 2025 season. Apart from Pascal Brednel, the other one’s a Japanese gymnast, Kamoto Yuya, who ended up injuring his Achilles tendon too. Yuya took to Instagram to provide this update just a day ago and mind you, it wasn’t a small injury. Yuya had to undergo surgery and have his leg severely plastered, too! Also, the gymnast has been blunt that the future from here looks uncertain as he wrote, “There are many difficult circumstances and there are many worries about whether I can do well in my future activities, but I would appreciate your support!”

These back-to-back gruesome updates of two excellent male gymnasts being retired hurt this season have left gymnastics fans asking in a Reddit discussion, “God what is happening?”If we look at the number of gymnasts who have or are currently suffering from leg/Achilles-related injuries, the list just goes on.

Just a day ago, the 19-year-old Russian gymnast, Victoria Listunova, shared that she suffered a serious Achilles injury during free exercises a week ago. This landed her straight up in surgery and ended her season. If we look back, in 2024, we had Skye Blakely and Kayla Di’Cello, who ruptured their Achilles. To date, the Gators are struggling to return to the NCAA mats! Wait. There’s more. Even Sloane Blakely suffered from a lower leg injury in the Florida vs Oklahoma NCAA duel last week. And how can we forget the LSU clan, where Chase Brook was indefinitely ruled out from the 2025 season due to the Achilles curse?

Thus, looking at how the pattern is now continuing, irrespective of women’s and men’s gymnastics, fans are truly concerned.

Gymnastics fans worried about recurrent leg injuries

One of the fans voiced their concerns in a rather sarcastic tone. They wrote, “Is nobody allowed to have a complete achilles anymore?” Well, the frustration in their tone comes across as clear as day! As per a University of Utah study, the most common types of injuries that gymnasts suffer include ‘Gymnast’s wrists, sprains and strains, Achilles tears, and ACL injuries.’ However, this season, it’s a clear sweep. Leg injuries including Achilles concerns and ankle sprains like the one K.J. Johnson got, have been the most common.

That’s when another fan chimed in with another cheeky reaction. They wrote, “Gonna be honest, I’m starting to worry about all of our Achilles tendons too.” The fan perhaps takes a jibe at the fact that Achilles tendons are so fragile in general because looking at how they are wrecking so much damage in the gymnastics landscape, it seems that they are highly susceptible to injury. This is making the fans worry about their own Achilles.

Well, as per the American Physiology Society (APS), one factor can be competing on stiffer floors than their usual training floors which can cause Achilles risks. Well, this looks like something that is pretty out of a gymnast’s control, right? But yes, this has been the case. Many gymnasts end up injuring themselves at major events, and a reason can be changed flooring. Also, it’s a common misconception that seasoned gymnasts may not get injured that easily compared to the newer ones. In fact, as APS, gymnasts who have been competing for more than 10 years are at a higher Achilles risk due to constant microtrauma weakening the tendon.

However, whatever the reason may be, gymnastics fans are infuriated. Another one wrote, “Jesus Christ that’s like, 11 Achilles injuries in a six-month time frame right?” While another one just expressed plain dismay, “I’m just so… tired.” Well, it’s disheartening for fans that such mega-names have had to sit out their seasons due to recurrent leg injuries this time. More than that, they are concerned about the gymnasts since this puts their entire careers in potential jeopardy.

While we wish for both Brednel and Yuya to have speedy recoveries, we’d like to know your thoughts on this new gymnastics Achilles curse. Share it with us below!