RIO DE JANEIRO _ The horrifying injury suffered by French gymnast Samir Ait Said on the men's vault on Aug. 6 at the Olympics sparked worldwide attention and sympathy.
His leg was severely broken from the vault landing and required surgery. In many parts of the world, the vault was shown live and the video clip of it and subsequent photos went viral, as did the shots of Said being carried off on a stretcher.
In the aftermath, his attitude has been relentlessly positive. The gymnast responded to a Facebook message from The Los Angeles Times earlier on Monday with a quick response.
"I am OK, thank you very much," he said, adding a happy-face emoji for emphasis. "I stay in Rio until the 17 August."
That is Wednesday, which happens to be the day after the gymnastics competition concludes.
He has kept his followers updated with postings on his Facebook page, a video from the hospital bed and another recent video of Said moving down the hallway with the aid of a walker.
The 26-year-old who was born in Tunisia was considered a medal hope in the rings. In a newspaper interview last week, he left no doubt that he intends to try to return to competition.
"The moment I get the green light, I'll be back in training," he told the French sports daily L'Equipe, adding that he wanted to be at the European Championships in March and vowed to be in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.
