Members of the England were left shocked by their team-mate’s fall (Image: Getty)
A shocking injury to Gabriel Langton overshadowed his silver medal in the men’s team gymnastics final at the Commonwealth Games. The 18-year-old, who only joined the squad earlier this month to replace multiple Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, plummeted to the floor after failing to grasp the bar midway through his routine, landing terrifyingly on his head and neck.
The competition was brought to a standstill as medics rushed to Langton’s side and gave him lengthy treatment before he was carried out on a stretcher. Team officials moved quickly to reassure fans, confirming that he was conscious, moving his legs and speaking to doctors. A team spokesperson said: “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.”
England still managed to clinch silver, though Canada pipped them to gold, denying them top spot in the discipline for the first time since the Delhi Games in 2010.
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The incident hit Langton’s team-mates hard. A visibly shaken Luke Whitehouse was handed the nightmarish task of stepping up to the high bar immediately after watching his colleague’s fall. He could only manage a score of 11.70, leaving him 23rd on the apparatus.
Whitehouse, 24, said: “It was really tough. We just had to reset, try to put it to one side mentally and focus on the job we had to do. I think everyone should be proud of the way we carried on after Gabe’s fall.
Langton received immediate medical attention after his fall (Image: Getty)
“We all agreed we’d take another warm-up and bring our energy back into it. There was a delay after the first warm-up, but we regrouped.
“The coaches were fantastic, and the boys who had to go up on high bar were incredible. The togetherness of the team really showed, and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone.”
Led by the experienced Felix Dolci, the Canadians nudged in front by the halfway stage and repelled a strong England fightback before guaranteeing gold with a series of solid floor routines in the final rotation.
England’s relatively inexperienced line-up, led by three-time European champion Whitehouse and including Adam Tobin, Alex Yolshin-Cash and Josh Nathan as well as Langton, had hit the front early after a confident floor routine.
Langton was confirmed to be conscious and talking after the sickening incident (Image: Getty)
As expected, Whitehouse posted the top score of the competition on floor, while Yolshin-Cash also delivered the best parallel bars routine to help give England every chance of of extending their winning streak.
But Dolci was the top scorer on both vault and high bar and he steered his team-mates through their final rotation to confirm victory with 241.400 points, ahead of England’s 238.20.
Hosts Scotland put up a sterling battle for bronze but were just pipped by Australia, whose total of 235.650 proved enough to complete the podium.