MONTREAL -- Romanian Larisa Iordache, an all-around medal favorite, withdrew from the world gymnastics championships with a torn Achilles suffered during qualification warm-ups Wednesday.
Iordache was carried off the competition floor before her first event, floor exercise (video here). She was later seen being wheeled out in a chair.
Iordache, a world all-around medalist behind Simone Biles in 2014 and 2015, was set to be the primary competition for U.S. champion Ragan Smith in Friday’s all-around final.
Smith, a Rio Olympic alternate, is seeking to extend a U.S. streak of Olympic and world all-around titles dating to 2011 (Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, Biles).
It’s yet another setback for Iordache, who was left out of the Rio Olympics following a broken finger.
Romania, which earned team medals at every Olympics from 1976 through 2012, failed to qualify a full team for Rio.
The nation was allowed one gymnast at the Games. The federation chose triple 2004 Olympic champion Catalina Ponor over Iordache.
Iordache finished fourth, second and third in the three world championships all-arounds won by Biles in the last Olympic cycle.
She came back in August to win the World University Games all-around over a field that included Rio fifth-place finisher Ellie Black.
OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!
WORLDS: Broadcast Schedule | Scores | Women to Watch | Men to Watch
