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A 21-year-old former gymnast, paralyzed from the neck down after a devastating accident, is defying expectations and has returned to coaching.
Ollie Pearce, from Maidstone, Kent, is now coaching at Pegasus gymnastics Club three days a week, just a year and a half after sustaining life-altering injuries at a music festival in London. It’s a remarkable comeback for a young man who once excelled in floor and vault routines at the very same club, having trained there as the age of five.
Pearce, who is now able to walk with the assistance of a zimmer frame, shared with BBC Radio Kent: “I was in hospital last Christmas, but it will be really good to spend it at home with my family this year.”
The incident occurred in July 2024 at a music festival held in Crystal Palace Park. Pearce attempted a back flip and, tragically, fell awkwardly, resulting in a spinal injury.
He was later diagnosed with paralysis. “I remember the whole thing,” Pearce recounted. “It was very slippery, I fell on my neck and that was it. I could feel it straight away. The priority was breathing again and being able to talk again, as my lungs where paralysed.”
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