Gymnast Tim Daggett Breaks Leg During Competition

Tim Daggett, the United States’ top gymnast at the World Gymnastics Championships, fell and broke his left leg in competition Thursday.

The accident occurred while Daggett was competing in the vault event of the team competition. A loud crack sounded as he landed. He stumbled backward and crumbled to the floor.

“It’s a fracture of the lower left leg. But it is not a complicated fracture,” a medical official said.

Daggett was removed on a stretcher and taken to Dijkzigt Hospital, 10 minutes from the Ahoy sports center.

It appears questionable that Daggett will be able to compete in the Olympic Games next September. “I’m really skeptical,” fellow Olympic gold medalist Scott Johnson said. “He is going to be out for eight months.”

Led by Dmitri Bilozerchev, the Soviet Union won the men’s team title Thursday night.

The Soviets dominated the competition as they easily defended their title, scoring 589.75 points.

China took second place with 583.35, while East Germany finished third at 582.80.

The United States finished ninth with 572.35 points. The top 12 teams qualify for the 1988 Olympics.

Bilozerchev, the 1983 world champion making a comeback after a severe auto accident in 1985, led the Soviets to the first four places in the individual competition. He scored 118.45 points, scoring no lower than 9.85 in any of the six apparatus.