SEOUL – Kim Hansol, a prominent South Korean artistic gymnast, has been ruled out of the upcoming Paris Olympics due to a severe knee injury sustained during training.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The Korea Gymnastics Association reported that Kim injured his knee during a landing attempt in a vault training session at the Jincheon National Training Center. Subsequent medical tests conducted on Tuesday confirmed multiple ligament tears in his left knee. Following the diagnosis, the association announced that Hur Woong would replace Kim at the Paris games. This decision is pending final approval from the Olympic organizing committee.
Kim, 28, a two-time defending Asian Games gold medalist in the men's floor exercise and a strong medal contender, was set to participate in his third consecutive Olympics. His replacement, Hur Woong, is currently ranked No. 6 in the men's pommel horse according to the International Gymnastics Federation World Cup rankings this season.