Every gymnast dreams of reaching the heights of Simone Biles, fearless, iconic, and legendary. For 17-year-old German gymnast Helen Kevric, who has looked up to Biles since childhood, the 2025 European Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig were supposed to be her moment to shine. As one of the top qualifiers, fans were excited to see what she could do. But early in the competition, a sudden injury during her vault left everyone stunned and deeply concerned.

The championships themselves were full of thrilling performances. Manila Esposito of Italy defended her all-around crown with an impressive total score of 54.965, making history as the first Italian woman to win back-to-back European all-around titles since the late ’90s. Spain’s Alba Petisco earned a surprising silver, the country’s first-ever all-around medal at this level, while Romania’s Ana Barbosu took home bronze after a tough battle.

Esposito’s balance beam routine was especially impressive, where her daring mount and flawless double pike dismount helped her pull ahead for the win. But the mood shifted in an instant when Helen Kevric, one of the competition’s brightest hopes, injured her knee on her very first vault attempt. She launched into a difficult Yurchenko double full, spinning perfectly in the air, but her landing was awkward.

Immediately, she clutched her knee, pain etched across her face. The arena fell silent as she lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling in shock, her left knee already wrapped in a bandage. The 17-year-old Stuttgart native gymnastics star was carefully carried off the floor by national coach Gerben Wiersma and team doctor Rainer Eckhardt, a heartbreaking sight for everyone watching.

Kevric was quickly taken to the hospital for further evaluation, where the initial diagnosis raised serious concerns. She suffered a knee ligament injury, a patellar tendon issue that could sideline her for an extended period. Coach Wiersma confirmed she would be transported back to Stuttgart for more detailed medical exams.

For such a young athlete who has already shown immense promise, this was a devastating blow, not only to Helen but also to fans worldwide who had been rooting for her breakthrough. As the competition pressed on, the gymnastics community’s thoughts never left Helen as they shared their concern on Instagram.

Gymnastics fans in shock as Helen Kevric’s injury echoes Mustafina’s tragedy

“Best wishes for a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹,” one gymnastics fan wrote, echoing the heartbreak many felt in the arena. Another added, “It was so heartbreaking to see this in person. Gymnastics can be so cruel…” Kevric had been battling knee issues since arriving in Leipzig, which led her to skip acrobatic elements during podium training and avoid the vault exercise entirely, a move Wiersma described as purely precautionary.

Still, despite the pain, she pushed through in the qualification round, delivering a solid all-around performance and helping her team clinch the silver medal on the uneven bars. One more fan added, “I really hope she can create good results in the World Championship. Hoping she can recover soon. And congratulations to Manila, getting her second AA Champion in the European Championship. Love her beam and floor.”

Unfortunately, Kevric’s medal hopes at the home European Championships in Leipzig came to a dramatic end on the very first apparatus of the all-around final, marking a complete halt to her title ambitions. She had entered the competition as the third-best qualifier with strong medal prospects and was also the top qualifier on the uneven bars, her signature event, where she had the best shot at a European Championship title.

One more gymnastics fan summed up the collective shock by saying, “Helen Kevric is injured??? I’m leaving.” And honestly, that says everything about just how much Helen means to fans and the sport itself. Over the last few years, she’s been on an absolute tear. In 2025, she helped lead Germany to a silver medal at the European Championships in Leipzig.

A year earlier, at the Paris Olympics, she made history with an 8th-place finish in the all-around final, the best for a reunified German gymnast, and placed 6th on the uneven bars. Domestically, she dominated the 2024 German National Championships, winning gold in the all-around and floor and snagging silvers on the beam and bars.

One last gymnastics fan added, “Possible ACL for Helen Kevric. This gave me Mustafina 2011 vibes—same bad landing,” and for anyone who remembers that moment, the comparison hits hard. Back in early 2011, Aliya Mustafina was on top of the gymnastics world, fresh off a stellar run at the 2010 World Championships. At the European Championships in Berlin, she was the top qualifier in the all-around, uneven bars, and beam, and she looked ready to sweep the competition.

But in the all-around final, disaster struck while attempting her powerful Amanar vault; she landed awkwardly and tore her ACL. The injury forced her to withdraw from the rest of the meet and miss the entire 2011 season, including Worlds. Seeing Kevric go down in such a similar way brought all those memories rushing back for fans.