July 25 (Reuters) – England gymnast Gabriel Langton was conscious and speaking with doctors after being taken to hospital following a heavy fall during the men’s team gymnastics final at the Commonwealth Games on Friday, team officials said.
The 19-year-old crashed headfirst to the floor after he came off the horizontal bar in the final rotation of the competition, prompting a lengthy halt as medical personnel rushed to his aid.
Langton received treatment on the competition floor for several minutes before being placed on a stretcher, fitted with head and neck support and taken from the arena to hospital for further assessment.
Langton was conscious, moving and speaking with doctors, team officials said.
“We are grateful to the medical teams who responded immediately to provide assistance,” Team England said in a statement.
“He has been taken to hospital and we will share more information when it is available.”
The incident cast a shadow over the remainder of the competition, with England settling for silver behind Canada after action resumed.
Australia claimed bronze, securing their first men’s team gymnastics medal since winning gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Langton, who had been drafted into the squad as a replacement for injured six-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, could not celebrate his team’s podium finish.
“From what we’ve heard, he’s doing OK,” said Langton’s teammate, Luke Whitehouse.
“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.”
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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