Gymnasts hurl themselves through the air and over equipment with speed and precision, and that takes a tremendous physical toll. Even before she took home gold and silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, McKayla Maroney had suffered many serious injuries. In June 2012, Maroney fell on her head during a floor exercise, which resulted in a concussion and a broken nose bone. During pre-Olympics qualifiers, Maroney competed with an already broken toe, an injury exacerbated during a beam dismount. “It was already broken,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I just split it more.”
Showing how the Olympics can get pretty messed up for athletes, Maroney participated in the 2012 games needing surgery, which she delayed until after a gymnastics tour; on the second night of that, Maroney suffered a tibia break, one of the most painful injuries a person can get, while ending an uneven bars routine. That injury required the surgical placement of corrective screws.
Maroney ramped up her preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics in 2013, competing in the Secret U.S. Classic and the World Championships, winning the vault event in both meets. Following those competitions, Maroney told Elle that she felt “completely broken” physically. Doctors also diagnosed an avulsion fracture in her knee. That would require extensive time off from gymnastics for surgery and recovery, and Maroney opted to walk away from the sport in her early twenties.
