An Olympic bronze medal was really a sight for one gymnast’s sore eye.
Brazilian Flavia Saraiva, a 24-year-old member of the Brazilian women’s gymnastics team, suffered a brutal eye injury during warm-up rounds Tuesday, according to Fox News.
But she managed to recover enough to turn in a performance that helped her team win a medal after all at the Paris games.
And she’s being hailed as a hero:
This is going to be one of the top-20 greatest photos in gym history due to the context of it all. pic.twitter.com/FXict0QpR1
— The Medal Count (@TheMedalCount_) July 30, 2024
Video of the accident is on the post below:
for those wondering what happened pic.twitter.com/QyOEaOBBft
— Victor Gonçalves (@VictorTulu) July 30, 2024
Saraiva said she suffered a nasty knock from her own knee, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
“I could not see, it bled, but the team’s doctor told me everything was all right. I believe my knee hit my eye when I tripped,” she said, the Daily Mail reported.
“… I realized I was on the floor, lying down with my knee in my face.”
Incredibly, she said her first movement was to roll away so the next gymnast on her team could warm up.
“I said: ‘Guys, where am I?’ Then (someone) said: ‘It’s bleeding, it’s bleeding,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.
“I put my hand on my face and my eye was bleeding, I didn’t understand anything. Then he asked if I was warm. Then I said: ‘Now I’m awake.’”
Obviously a trouper, Saraiva didn’t let the injury keep her from competing only a few minutes later, turning in a performance on the uneven bars that scored a 13.666, according to Fox News.
That’s not great, but it’s not bad for a young woman with a bashed eye.
As The New York Times noted in an Olympics preview piece about uneven bars scoring, “A medal-winning bar routine is typically in the low 15s, but most all-around gymnasts will be happy with mid- to high 14s.”
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The bronze medal was Brazil’s women’s gymnastics team’s first as a unit, according to Reuters.
The fact that Saraiva was able to compete at all made her plenty of fans among Olympics watchers. In an Olympics that have had mistakes, some chaos, controversy and plenty to criticize, it was an act to admire.
Flávia Saraiva who is Brazil’s #2 gymnast and is without exaggeration irreplaceable to this team. She suffered a facial injury during warmups, threw a band aid on it, competed through the competition and lead her country to its first ever Olympic team medal. pic.twitter.com/omD5RZPiOy
— #TheResistance (@BoneKnightmare) July 31, 2024
You can tell by her reaction that she’s already dialed in. Hate to see the injury but love the way she handled it.
— Colin Ely (@Gary_Bertier) July 31, 2024
This is why you never give up…finish the job! Respect
— Anthony G (@da_minister13) July 31, 2024
Saraiva, who has never medaled individually, also suffered an injury during the 2020 Olympics (in Tokyo in 2021), according to Fox. She performed on the floor routine and balance beams.
