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Paul Kennedy

Australian gymnast Ava Costa faces recovery after sustaining spinal injury in training fall

The greatest gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, has led the international reaction to 14-year-old Australian Olympic hopeful Ava Costa's spinal injury.

"I'm thinking about you and I'm keeping you in my prayers," Biles says in the message to Ava.

"We all love you so much. Stay strong and lean on those around you."

Costa fell off the balance beam onto her neck and suffered a spinal injury while training in Brisbane in April.

Leading gymnasts from England, Canada, United States, France, Germany, Brazil and Italy have sent messages of love and hope.

Ava Costa in action on the balance beam at last year's national titles — a fall from this apparatus in training led to her spinal injury. (Supplied: Costa family)

"Praying for you," American world champion Shilese Jones says. "Wishing you a fast recovery. We all love you. Get well soon."

Ava says the message from Biles was a stand out.

"I was very touched that she would reach out and take her time to send a video. I've watched her since I was little girl.

"I think all the support from other gymnasts and the community has been great."

Ava Costa began gymnastics at age five.

Since moving from Victoria to Queensland during the COVID-19 pandemic, she went from junior star to senior national squad member.

Owner of Queensland's Premier Gymnastics, Nicki Robbins, believes Ava had a strong chance of becoming a teenage Olympian at Paris 2024.

Ava Costa (second from left) was in Australia's junior women's team for a Team Challenge and Mixed Cup competition in Germany last year. (Supplied: Costa family)

"She's dedicated, passionate, driven," Robbins says. "She a straight-A student, intelligent, funny.

"She's a pleasure to train and always smiling, even when she's working hard. The gymnastics community is devastated (by the accident)."

Ava had no feeling below her neck after the accident but has since recovered some movement in her right arm.

"The recovery is slow but steady at the same time," she says from her hospital bed. "At first, I didn't have much movement, but things are starting to wake up.

"Every day I see one physio, one occupational therapist and we do breathing exercises morning and night.

"All my friends and family have been amazing. My family eat dinner with me most nights and we'll laugh and play games. And my friends visit quite frequently."

Ava's parents, Randi and Dave Costa, credit their daughter's sense of humour and positive mindset with her chances of physical improvement.

"We're still in shock," Randi says. "It's a new reality. A month ago, Ava was training for the Olympics and now any movement we're celebrating. It's completely different.

Ava Costa's family have set up the Walking with Ava Foundation to raise funds for her recovery. (Supplied: Costa family)

"The doctors have been amazing. With spinal injuries it's really slow, but that's just the nature of the beast. What's going to happen? No one knows. It's the great unknown and everyone is different.

"We're also realists. We know there's a very long road to recovery … you don't know what's going to happen."

The Costa family has established the Walking with Ava Foundation to raise money for Ava's recovery and share messages "from a place of hope in what's possible".

"I would also like to raise awareness and help other children with spinal cord injuries with their recovery," Ava says.

The Australian National Championships, being held on the Gold Coast this week, will hold a dedication day for Ava on Saturday.

There will be male and female nail polishing, stickers and tattoos.

"Our family and Ava started the paint-your-nails-pink (movement), so you can walk and move with Ava," Randi says.

"Each step or movement you are thinking of Ava doing (the same thing) and sending that energy to her.

"All the initiatives through the Walking with Ava Foundation have given us a chance to talk about what happened," Nicki Robbins says.

"Every gymnast is thinking of Ava. As a person, she is so kind, beautiful and caring."

Ava has also helped create a design for a limited-edition Sylvia P leotard, with profits going to the foundation.

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