An Indonesian gymnast and Olympic hopeful tragically passed away this week after suffering a severe neck injury while performing an advanced skill in Russia, his home country confirmed.
Naufal Takdir Al Bari, 19, was attending a national team training camp in Penza when he attempted a maneuver on the horizontal high bar and landed awkwardly in a foam pit, according to the Russian Gymnastics Federation.
The injury was critical, leaving the elite athlete in intensive care for 12 days before he died on Thursday.
Naufal Takdir Al Bari, 19, died after sustaining a critical neck injury during a gymnastics stunt.
“Naufal was a talented young athlete and a good person,” said Ita Yulati, chairman of the Indonesia Gymnastics Federation, in a statement shared on Instagram.
“Indonesian gymnastics has lost one of the nation’s finest. This is a deep blow and sorrow for us. May his family be given strength.”
Officials said Al Bari had been preparing for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Jakarta next month and was projected to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Indonesian gymnastics officials said Al Bari was projected to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Russian gymnastics officials stated that they conducted an investigation into his death, noting that the rising star was not ready to perform the element he attempted.
“We sent our condolences to the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation today, informed them of what happened, and have done everything that needed to be done,” Vasily Titov, vice president of the Russian federation, told local media.
The element Al Bari was attempting has not been disclosed, but officials said he was not prepared for it.
“We conducted the necessary investigation, and all the circumstances surrounding the injury have been established. Unfortunately, the athlete was not prepared to perform such a complex element,” a Russian gymnastics official said.
The exact stunt Al Bari was executing remains unknown.
