French gymnast Samir Ait Said might have broken her leg during the men's vault qualification round on Saturday, but his Olympic dream is far from over. The 26-year-old athlete has shared a video on Facebook updating fans on his condition and showing his support for his teammates from his hospital bed in Rio.
"The operation went very well and I can be back on my feet quite soon, relatively," said the star, who can be seen wearing a cast on his left leg in the colours of the French flag. "So it's gone well and I'm happy.
Samir Ait Said has shared a video on Facebook from his hospital bed
"I will be going back to the arena soon to cheer on my friends because the competition hasn't finished yet. And I can add support with my blue, white and red cast!
He added: "I'm behind all my pals. They managed to keep their act together after my fall. That must have been really difficult. They were real warriors. So come on boys, be strong. I'm with you."
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Samir also confirmed that both his career and his pursuit of an Olympic medal aren't over. "Believe me, the Tokyo 2020 adventure is still alive," he said. "As soon as I'm recovered, we'll go back to training and we'll go after those Olympics."
The 26-year-old's cast is in the colours of the French flag
Samir's horrific injury occurred when he landed badly on the vault and his left leg folded beneath him. After receiving extensive medical attention on the scene, he bravely managed to raise one arm to acknowledge the ovation of the crowd before he was rushed to hospital.
He had been set to compete in the horizontal bars, the parallel bars, the rings, the pommel horse, the floor exercise and the individual and team all-rounds.
Samir broke his leg in a horrific incident during the men's vault qualification round
His teammate Jim Zona was among those who expressed their shock following the injury. "No words," he wrote in French on Twitter. "Sad and shocked for Samir, for the whole team. We have to find the strength to have a good finish to the competition."
It's not the first set-back Samir has suffered. He was forced to pull out of the 2012 Games in London after fracturing his leg in three places during the European Championships.