Gymnastics-Japan's Hatakeda suffers serious spinal injury in training fall

FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Gymnastics - Artistic - Women's Team - Final - Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Hitomi Hatakeda of Japan in action on the uneven bars REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

(Reuters) - Japan's Hitomi Hatakeda pulled out of the women's all-around final at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships after the 21-year-old suffered a serious spinal injury during a training fall, the Japan Gymnastics Association said.

Hatakeda, who appeared at the Tokyo Olympics, injured her spine while training on the uneven bars on Wednesday as she fell face first while attempting a Komova - a transition element from low bar to high bar on the uneven bars.