Sam Mikulak & USA Men's Gymnastics Team Reflect on Samir Ait Said's Injury At Olympics

Sam Mikulak and Alex Naddour show off their pommel horse skills in these shots from the Artistic Gymnastics Men’s Team Qualification during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics on Saturday (August 6) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Along with teammates Danell Leyva, Jake Dalton, and team captain Chris Brooks placed 2nd over all as a team for the day, with China in first place, Japan in third and Great Britain in fourth.

“It’s a horrible thing to happen, but we stayed in our bubble,” Sam shared, reflecting on French gymnast Samir Ait Said breaking his leg on the vault. “We made sure that we focused on each other. We stayed in our bubble. If someone hits, cheer them on; if someone misses, pick them up. We continued to do that.”

Danell added, “Even if we’re on different teams from different countries, we’re all friends, we all know each other. I’ve known Samir since I was 14. It sucks, it really does. But we have a job to do, so you have to forget about it.”

After Day 1 of qualification, here’s the lineup: Sam - Floor, Parallel Bars, Vault, Pommel Horse, High Bar, All-Around; Jake - Rings, Vault, Floor; Chris - Rings, Parallel Bars, High Bar, All-Around; Alex - Pommel Horse, Floor, Vault, Rings; and Danell – Pommel Horse, Parallel bars and High Bar.