Samantha Cerio to retire from gymnastics after shocking accident

Samantha Cerio has emotionally declared she will quit as she prepares to undergo surgery following a shocking accident.

Samantha Cerio writhes in pain after misjudging her landing.

Auburn gymnast Samantha Cerio will undergo surgery after dislocating both knees and suffering torn ligaments when she fell during a floor routine, her coach announced.

“Sam is a fighter and is in great spirits. We couldn’t have a better leader for this team,” Jeff Braba wrote on Twitter, hours after the 22-year-old senior said she is retiring from the sport.

“The Auburn Athletics Department is thankful for the outstanding care that Auburn and LSU medical staffs have provided to Sam,” he continued.

Warning: Footage is graphic!

Samantha Cerio prepares to start her routine.

The shocking accident was caught on camera.

The gymnast writhes in pain.

Cerio was attempting a handspring double front flip with a blind landing when she landed awkwardly at the Baton Rouge Regional NCAA meet with LSU on Friday and screamed in agony.

“Friday night was my final night as a gymnast. After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind,” Samantha Cerio wrote in a lengthy Instagram post.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the person that gymnastics has made me to become. It’s taught me hard work, humility, integrity, and dedication, just to name a few. It’s given me challenges and road blocks that I would have never imagined that has tested who I am as a person,” she wrote.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post