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2021 Olympic Games

Laurie Hernandez returning to Olympics with different perspective: commentator, not competitor

Emily Leiker
USA TODAY

Bad as Laurie Hernandez initially thought the injury that ended her Olympic hopes were, it was so much worse.

Hernandez withdrew from the national championships after hyperextending her knee during warmups for balance beam. 

In a July 6 tweet, however, Hernandez revealed she had "a bone bruise, fluid, a cyst and torn meniscus" as a result of the bad dismount.

That's a lot more than a hyperextension. 

While she received lots of support and well-wishes for her recovery, Hernandez said there were still negative comments, with some people even going as far as to accuse her of injuring herself on purpose in order to petition for a spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials. 

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