What happened to Julissa D Anne Gomez?

Julissa D’Anne Gomez (November 4, 1972 – August 8, 1991) was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury.

How old was Julissa Gomez when she died?

18 years (1972–1991)
Julissa Gomez/Age at death

How often do gymnasts become paralyzed?

Of course, catastrophic injuries such as paralysis are rare. But many gymnasts suffer a wide array of injuries as they test the limits of gravity and physics. About 100,000 gymnasts suffer injuries every year, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

What kind of accident did Julissa Gomez have?

Julissa Gomez. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Julissa D’anne Gomez (November 4, 1972 – August 8, 1991) was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury.

How did Julissa D’anne Gomez die from?

Julissa D’anne Gomez (November 4, 1972 – August 8, 1991) was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury. She was being coached by Al Fong, and had previously been coached by Bela Karolyi .

What did Julissa Gomez do in the 1988 Olympics?

During warmups for the final, held on May 5, 1988, Gomez continued to practice the Yurchenko. As she raced toward the vault on one of her practice runs, her foot slipped off the springboard and she slammed headfirst into the vaulting horse at high speed. The resulting impact instantly paralyzed her from the neck down.

What was Julissa Gomez’s technique on the vault?

Gomez’s technique on the extremely difficult Yurchenko vault had been described as shaky at best, and Gomez was unable to perform the vault with any consistency during practices, sometimes missing her feet on the springboard. A teammate from Károlyi’s, Chelle Stack, later stated, “You could tell it was not a safe vault for her to be doing.