English gymnast Gabriel Langton was taken to the hospital Friday following a serious fall during the men’s team gymnastics final at the Commonwealth Games, though team officials confirmed he was conscious, moving, and talking with doctors.
The 19-year-old suffered the fall after losing his grip on the horizontal bar during the final rotation of the competition, crashing head-first onto the floor below. The incident brought the event to a prolonged stop as medical staff rushed onto the floor to assist him.
Langton was treated on the competition floor for several minutes before being carefully placed on a stretcher with head and neck support and transported from the arena to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.
Team England released a statement expressing gratitude for the swift response of medical personnel. “We are grateful to the medical teams who responded immediately to provide assistance,” the statement read. “He has been taken to hospital and we will share more information when it is available.”
The frightening incident cast a dark cloud over the rest of the competition. When action resumed, England finished in second place, earning silver behind Canada. Australia took the bronze medal, marking the country’s first men’s team gymnastics medal since capturing gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Langton had been brought onto the squad as a substitute for injured six-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, and was unable to join his teammates in celebrating their podium finish.
Teammate Luke Whitehouse spoke about the incident after the competition. “From what we’ve heard, he’s doing OK,” Whitehouse said. “Gymnastics is such a dangerous sport and things like this remind us of that. It’s one of those things you have to put out of your mind.”
