Gymnast Samantha Cerio pleads for people to stop sharing injury video
The athlete posts a tweet saying her "pain is not your entertainment" as she announces she is quitting the sport.
Saturday 13 April 2019 07:55, UK
A college gymnast who suffered severe leg injuries during a competition has pleaded with those sharing videos of the horrendous incident to stop.
Samantha Cerio, a senior at America's Auburn University, posted on Twitter after footage of the athlete injuring herself went viral.
"I am asking you to please stop," she wrote on her private account, according to US media outlets.
"Going through the pain and seeing my knees bent unnaturally in real life was horrible enough, but to continue to see it from videos/pictures because some people feel entitled to repost it is not okay."
Cerio had been attempting to execute a 'handspring double front' at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) regional semi-finals in Louisiana when she landed awkwardly.
She fell backwards to the ground as her legs bent backwards. She had to be stretchered off.
Auburn gymnastics coach Jeff Graba later confirmed Cerio suffered two dislocated knees and that she was undergoing surgery earlier this week.
He said she also suffered torn ligaments in both knees.
"I have family, friends, and teammates who do not need to see me getting injured over and over again," Cerio continued on Twitter. "My pain is not your entertainment."
Cerio, 22, had earlier posted a tweet assuring supporters she was doing well and resting following the incident. She later announced on Instagram that she would be leaving the sport.
She wrote: "After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind. I couldn't be prouder of the person that gymnastics has made me to become... it may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned."