From Gore to Greatness: The Worst Injuries in Olympics History

Because sometimes winning means not worrying about your broken leg.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The human body is a beautiful and sometimes horrifying thing, and the Olympics is the ultimate testament to that. Sport injuries can hurt to watch more than most injuries, mainly because Olympic athletes sacrifice so much to get their bodies prepared for global competition. When somebody watching the Olympics stubs their toe on the way to get more chips, it probably won’t change their career path in the same devastating way it can for an Olympic athlete.

So join us as we take you on an emotional journey, breaking you down and building you back up again, giving you the goriest injuries in Olympics history before ending with some of the most uplifting. We’re going from nauseating to inspiring real quick. From gore to greatness, these are the worst injuries in Olympic history.

Samir Ait Said, Gymnastics

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Paul George, Basketball

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Games: 2014 FIBA World Championships (Team USA scrimmage)

Even though Said’s injury came first on this list, mainly due to timeliness, in some ways that break was really just a warm up to Paul George’s leg injury.  Because if you’re gonna snap your lower leg, the entire bone may as well pop through, too. During a 2014 scrimmage for Team USA (okay so not technically the Olympics, but too obvious not to add), George’s leg ended up looking like a prop from a bad horror movie after landing awkwardly near the basket.

The broken leg, as horrific as it was at the time, didn't sideline George for long. With the support of his fans and peers, Paul George persevered and the Indiana Pacers forward had one of his best seasons this past year, and even came through to offer advice to 2016’s worst injury recipient Samir Ait Said.

Janos Baranyai, Weightlifting

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Jaehyouk Sa, Weightlifting

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Nancy Kerrigan, Figure Skating

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Katie Glynn, Field Hockey

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Mariela Scarone, Field Hockey

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Kate Walsh, Field Hockey

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J.R. Celski, Speed Skating

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Greg Louganis, Diving

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Kerri Strug, Gymnastics

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Derek Redmond, Track & Field

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