It is very sad to learn that Deepa suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear while practicing on the Handspring Rudi (a Vault variant) last week.

It is very important for the gymnasts to work on the landing technique. As soon as the sportsman lands on the ground, his/ her foot gets fixed to the ground while body continues to move. If body moves with an angular or rotational force applied at the knee; ACL tear can occur. The sportsmen, his/ her coach and the team physio should work on the landing technique of the sportsman so that such injuries can be avoided. Deepa is going to miss Asian Championship but we are glad that she has been operated and is back to recovery.

In Rio Olympics, a german gymast tore his ACL for the similar reasons as he had landed wrongly on the ground. (read here...)

We wish faster recovery to Deepa.

SO Team

Image Courtsey -ndtv.com