After completing a solid beam routine that earned a score of 9.9, Thomas opened on floor with a stuck double layout. A few moments later, she stopped the routine, put her hands on her knees and took a few breaths before being escorted off the floor by Florida coach Jenny Rowland.
Thomas walked to the training area on her own power, was evaluated by medical staff and rejoined her team before the next rotation. She was replaced in the lineup by Bri Edwards and watched from the sideline with an ice wrap on her right calf as No. 2 Florida won the session and advanced to Sunday’s regional final.
“There comes a time when our athletes have to trust what’s going on,” Rowland said. “I’m really thankful that [Thomas] didn’t try to be a superhero and continue, and actually stopped. I’m super proud of how the team reacted and remained calm.”
Heading into Friday’s meet, Thomas was one perfect 10 away from tying the 27-year-old NCAA record for the most in a career set by Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen in 1996 and matched by UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher in 2004. Thomas owns 12 perfect 10 scores on floor.
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