When one thinks of gymnastics, one thinks of grace and beauty, but seldom does one think about the dangers associated with the sport. This might surprise many, but gymnastics can actually result in brutal injuries, and might sometimes be life-threatening as well. In fact, the aspiring Olympic gymnast, Ava Costa’s spinal injury is proof of exactly this fact.

On April 7th, 2023, the young Ava Costa suffered a serious injury after she fell off the balancing beam and landed on her neck. A part of the Australian National Team, Costa was preparing for the 2024 Olympics when the incident took place. Despite emergency surgery, Costa lost all feeling below the point of injury. Many gymnasts expressed their support for the youngling and prayed for her speedy recovery.

Simone Biles led the charge, and others have joined

One of the first elite athletes to send their best wishes to Costa was one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, Simone Biles. According to a report by ABC News, Biles sent a heartfelt message to Costa, and said, “I’m thinking about you and I’m keeping you in my prayers. We all love you so much. Stay strong and lean on those around you.” In this difficult time, Ava Costa and her family are in need of tremendous support.

This much-needed support also came from an organization by the name ‘Sylvia P’, a company that manufactures sportswear. Sylvia P, to bolster the recovery of the young gymnast, created a custom made-to-order leotard. According to the company’s official website, “…we have created a limited edition, made-to-order leotard to spread a message of hope, love, and prayers to believe in Ava’s recovery.”

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Proceeds from the sales of the leotard will go to the Walking With Ava Foundation. Olivia Dunne also joined the gymnastics world in wishing Ava Costa a quick recovery. Dunne shared a photo of herself wearing the custom-made leotard in her Instagram stories. In addition to the photo, she wrote the text, “Help support Ava on her recovery from a special cord injury with this beautiful leotard.” She also shared a link where the custom-made leotard could be purchased.

Dunne was probably motivated by empathy

Recently, in February this year, Olivia Dunne was benched from some meets after she suffered a brutal foot injury. Dunne is a 20-year-old TikTok star with millions of followers on the social media platform. After she was ruled out of the said meets due to her injury, her fans were extremely upset. However, after she recovered, she got back on her feet. She posted a video of her practicing on uneven bars, totally back in her element.

The NCAA star was seen performing a routine on the apparatus after dismounting with flips full of flair. Dunne was seen wearing an LSU leotard in the clip, along with a bandage on her recently healed foot. It is no doubt that her own injury made Dunne all the more empathetic towards the young Costa, which might have prompted her to spread the message about the initiative for Costa’s recovery. Hopefully, her platform will be a huge help for Ava Costa and her family.

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