England’s silver medal finish in the men’s team gymnastics event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was overshadowed by a serious injury suffered by gymnast Gabriel Langton during the final rotation of the competition.
The 19-year-old, who represents the City of Birmingham Gymnastics Club, crashed head-first to the floor after missing his grip on the horizontal bar, approximately three metres above the ground.
The frightening incident brought competition to a halt as medical personnel rushed to the athlete’s aid. Up to a dozen medical staff treated Langton on the arena floor for several minutes before carefully placing him on a stretcher with his head and neck immobilised.
He was later transported from the venue on a medical trolley to sustained applause from spectators, who had watched the emergency unfold in near silence.
Encouragingly, Langton was reported to be conscious and able to move both his arms and legs before leaving the competition floor. Team officials also confirmed that he was communicating with doctors while being transferred to hospital.
In a statement, Team England thanked the emergency medical personnel for their swift response.
“We are grateful to the medical teams who responded immediately to provide assistance. He has been taken to hospital and we will share more information when it is available,” the statement read.
Following the lengthy interruption, competition resumed, but England was unable to overturn Canada’s lead. Canada went on to secure the men’s team gymnastics gold medal—the country’s first title in the event in 20 years, after finishing runners-up to England at the previous two Commonwealth Games.
