Over 8500 athletes are in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region this week. That’s because the 2025 FISU World University Games are on, and more than 150 countries are participating across 18 sports. But for one nation, the celebration was cut tragically short. Italy’s gymnastics squad suffered a rare and harrowing incident. One so devastating, it led to a heartbreaking and immediate decision that changed everything.

On Wednesday, Italian gymnast Lorenzo Bonicelli suffered a catastrophic injury during his still rings routine at the FISU World University Games. A botched dismount led to a severe neck injury that left him in critical condition. According to a statement, “Lorenzo (Bonicelli) is in a medically induced coma after surgery last night. It will take 10 or more days to know his condition.” Meanwhile, here’s how it affected his entire team.

When this accident took place on July 23rd, Bonicelli, and his teammates were competing in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics team final and qualification round. The Italian team had started strong, opening with the floor exercise and moving on to the pommel horse. But tragedy struck in the third rotation, the still rings, when Bonicelli’s routine ended in disaster. Thus, just shortly after Bonicelli was rushed to the hospital, his teammates, as declared in the official statement by the Italian Gymnastics Federation, took a massive step.

Bonicelli’s teammates made a collective, heart-wrenching decision: the entire Italian men’s gymnastics team withdrew from the competition. The emotional toll of witnessing their teammate’s traumatic injury was too great. As Forbes reported on July 25, the decision stemmed directly from the distress caused by Bonicelli’s fall. In an official statement, the Italian Gymnastics Federation explained, “The technical staff accompanying the GAM mission to Germany, given the understandable emotional distress of the rest of the team, chose to withdraw the team from the competition.”

The next day, a FIG official confirmed the severity of Bonicelli’s condition, sharing that the athlete had undergone near-immediate surgery on Wednesday. Given this, it’s only understandable that the team was worried for him and decided to step down. But could they have won had they performed? Well, until rotation three commenced, the Italian team had performed on just two apparatuses, getting decent scores in them. A 37.899 on the floor, followed by a 32.599 on the pommel horse. These scores would have placed them somewhere around mid-table until the third rotation started. That’s where the accident occurred and ended, earning the last 8.866 points for the team, taking their total to 79.394.

Eventually, the team finally got a DNF (Did Not Finish) status. And it was Japan who bagged the gold in the event. But yes, the team set an example that even amid elite competition, empathy comes first.

Lorenzo Bonicelli and Team Italy gymnastics are tight-knit

Just recently, 2 weeks ago, Lorenzo Bonicelli added a post on his Instagram, posing with his Italian teammates, Edoardo De Rosa and Ivan Brunello. He captioned the image, “we don’t talk much,” hinting at how their squad lets their actions do all the talking. Well, he has been competing in the same team as some of the top Italian gymnasts like Lorenzo Minh Casali since as early as 2019. And he seems to have a great bond with his contemporaries.

However, today, it’s not just his fellow teammates, but the entire gymnastics community that’s praying for him. Wishes and prayers are pouring in for Bonicelli. Everyone is praying for his recovery. Hopefully, the prayers pay off!