NHK Trophy uneven bars

Soma knew the second event was going to be a challenge since it required knee movement to jump up to the bar and dismount from it. But despite the threat of worsening injury, she was determined to try. 

Soma marched out onto the mat and looked up at the bar above her head. Then, she took the leap. As hands connected with the bar, she immediately began her series of skills. Soma whirled around the bars, flipping with practiced precision. The routine she practiced for months looked effortless.

She focused on making her flips absolute perfection, but the dismount still loomed. 

Soma circled the bar and picked up speed before releasing. She completed two flips before landing, but the impact was not what she expected. 

She grimaced, and the pain was evident on her face. Soma kept her composure before the judges, throwing her hands up for one last salute before the pain took over.

As it turned out, the injury was severe. Soma blew out her meniscus and tore her ACL, which knocked her out of contention for the Olympic team. The recovery would take months. 

“I don’t get injured that often. When I tore my ACL on vault, it’s a skill that I’ve been doing for a very long time,” Soma said. “It was just kind of shocking, like, oh my gosh. It’s the skill that I’ve been doing every day and [getting injured] can hurt my career in an instant.”

Before the injury, Soma was a top candidate being considered for the Japan National Team, and many had expected her to compete in the next Olympics. After the injury, no one knew whether she would compete again.