“Heart Is Breaking”: Gymnastics World Saddened by Yet Another Athlete Falling Prey to ACL Injury

With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, an injury is not something any athlete wants to face. But 21-year-old Romi Brown has to make peace with exactly that. In a recent post on Instagram, the gymnast from Melbourne, who represented Australia at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, shared the saddening news about her injury.

“Unfortunately at the end of day one of competition at nationals, I re-ruptured my ACL. Obviously feeling pretty devastated and a bit lost at the moment, especially since it was feeling really strong and I felt as ready as I could have been. I’m so grateful for all the support and encouragement I’ve had up until this point, I couldn’t have made it this far without you all.”

“I also just want to extend a special thanks to my team at Waverley, the VIS and medical staff, and my incredible family and teammates who have been by my side every step of this journey. Just taking things one day at a time and focusing on the next steps of recovery. Wishing the best of luck to everyone who is competing today and to the girls in the rest of the Olympic campaign.”

The gymnast faced a similar strife last year during the EnBW DTB Pokal Cup in Stuttgart, Germany. The injury took six months for her to recover and return to the gym. In a recent interview, she even said, “I would say I’m back to 100% of what I was at before.” Clearly, it is a tough time for the athlete as she would unfortunately have to return to square one.

ALC injuries can happen when a gymnast lands short or is over-rotated. This injury can lead to a nasty swelling. Usually, an MRI is required to confirm such an injury. However, Romi Brown is not the only gymnast on the mat who has had to back out of the Olympics due to an ACL injury or something related.

• Ondine Achampong: A few days ago, the British gymnast pulled out due to a similar injury to Brown’s. The gymnast faced a torn ACL after a routine bar dismount. She shared that she felt “devastated.” She even added, “My competition preparation has been so positive all year, and I really felt as ready as I could possibly be leading up to this summer.”
• Rebecca Bross: At the 2011 Visa Championships, the 2010 US National Champion injured her knee during the third rotation of the final night. While performing the Double-Twisting Yurchenko, she under-rotated the vault and was still twisting while landing, which made for a gruesome dislocated kneecap. Although ligament tears were ruled out after an MRI, Bross couldn’t really regain her form. Having to sit out the rest of the 2011 season likely impacted her performance at the 2012 Olympic Trials, the last competitive event of her career.
• Laurie Hernandez: The New Jersey native told FOX, “The year of 2014 was probably not really my year.” In January, she broke a growth plate in her wrist while practicing and was sidelined for a couple of months. After returning to the mats, she didn’t land properly while practicing a vault and dislocated her knee, tore a ligament, and had to get surgery. While that didn’t affect her chances at the Rio Olympics, something similar in 2021 affected her chances in Tokyo. While warming up for an event in June 2021, she overstretched her knee, subsequently ruling her out of the Olympic Trials. “Sometimes things just happen, and it’s really, really irritating,” she’d said.

Even Romi Brown’s sister, Miella Brown, faced this injury in the past. Another gymnast from Great Britain, Amelie Morgan, has also had to step down from the competition and said she wanted to focus on her health in the last year of competing. But coming back to Romi Brown, she found a lot of support from the gymnastic community post her painful injury.

The Australian gymnastics community rallies behind their favorite athlete!

The number of supporters backing Romi Brown up in the few hours after she confirmed the news of her injury has been comforting to watch. Gym Australia took to their official Instagram to show remarkable compassion, commenting, “Heart is breaking for you Romi, all our love and support is with you 💚💛.”

One fan expressed her grace and skill on the mat as simply mesmerizing and stated, “sending love Rom🤍🤍.” Another fan expressed their shock, “Oh no!!! Sending all my love and healing wishes ❤️‍🩹 You got this!!” 

Many hoped she would recover soon and continue with her career ahead. After all, the gymnast started training at the Cheltenham Youth Club when she was just seven. In 2014, she burst into the scene because of the potential she showed by claiming the All-Around title at the Australian Junior Nationals. She then progressed to the seniors in 2018.

One fan felt sorry for her and showered love on Brown. “I am so sorry to hear your news Romi, you are a true champion- and you should be so proud of all your achievements! I don’t know anyone who has worked as hard as you! Sending you big hugs! ❤️”

Did you know Brown even made it to the final of the Uneven Bars at the 2019 World Cup in Melbourne? She finished 5th. This helped her claim the prestigious spot on the Australian team for the International Gym-nix in Montreal (the team won a bronze). But the Paris Olympics was supposed to be her biggest challenge.

“I can only do what I can do (regarding Olympic selection). As long as I’ve put in everything I can, I’ll be happy no matter what.”

Her sister Miella Brown posted a refreshingly sarcastic comment, trying to lighten Romi’s mood,

“just had to one-up me once again🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️.” Though it seems that Romi Brown will not compete in the Summer Olympics, fans and family are doing their best to lift her morale. Perhaps this is a good time for the gymnast to remember her motto and stick to it: ‘The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.’