Indonesia’s top gymnast dies after tragic training fall

Indonesia’s gymnastics community is in shock after the death of Naufal Takdir Al Bari, the country’s top artistic gymnast and one of its brightest Olympic hopes. The 19-year-old died from a severe neck injury suffered during a training session in Russia, where the national team was preparing for the upcoming Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, scheduled for Oct. 19-25.

According to Russian news agency TASS, Al Bari fractured multiple cervical vertebrae after a fall into a foam pit while working on a horizontal bar routine at a gym in the city of Penza, west of Moscow. He was rushed to GA Zakharyin Hospital and spent 12 days in intensive care but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

A devastating loss for Indonesian gymnastics

“The Indonesian gymnastics family has lost one of its most beloved sons,” said Ita Yuliati, president of the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation, in a statement to local media. “He was an exceptionally talented young athlete and a wonderful person. This is a heartbreaking blow for all of us.”

Al Bari had been training in Penza since early September as part of Indonesia’s final preparations for the World Championships. Seen as the nation’s best gymnast of his generation, he had set his sights on representing Indonesia at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

His death leaves a void in a sport where Indonesia had hoped to make its mark on the global stage.

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