Shun Fujimoto

 ( 1950 Births ) 

extra=born May 11, 1950 is a retired Japanese gymnast.

He represented Japan at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where he won gold in the team competition.

Fujimoto won fame by continuing to compete in the team event right after severely injuring his right knee during his floor exercise. He scored 9.5 on the pommel horse and 9.7 on the still rings with the badly damaged knee, dismounting from the rings from eight feet above ground and keeping his balance after landing on his feet. One source has described the scene thus: that he "raised his arms in a perfect finish before collapsing in agony". video "Shun Fujimoto - a pioneer in taking one for the team" [2], official website of the 2008 Summer Olympics That account, however, is erroneous.

Video of Fujimoto's rings routine, including the dismount and immediate aftermath, is easily accessible on the internet, and it is unambiguously clear that, despite the physical agony of performing his routine and landing, he did not collapse after completing his dismount. Instead, immediately upon his landing, as Fujimoto's knees bent to absorb the shock, his right knee started to give way, wobbling and almost /ref>

Nevertheless, the dismount aggravated his already serious injury, dislocating his broken kneecap and tearing ligaments in his right leg. Doctors ordered him to withdraw from further competition or risk permanent disability. "A bad break for a courageous athlete", CNN "If Perspiration Could Be Quantified", Time, August 15, 1988 One doctor stated:

"How he managed to do somersaults and twists and land without collapsing in screams is beyond my comprehension." "A bad break for a courageous athlete", CNN

Fujimoto stated that he had not wanted to let his team down by revealing his injury. "A bad break for a courageous athlete", CNN His completing of the pommel horse and rings events enabled the team to win gold, defeating the team from the Soviet Union by a narrow margin. "Fujimoto caps Japanese success", BBC, September 29, 2000 Later, when asked whether he would do what he did again, he replied frankly, "No, I would not." The Joy of Six: great Olympians The Guardian, 7 Aug 2008

Fujimoto's performing in spite of serious injury was humorously alluded to in The Simpsons episode, "Lisa's First Word".

In 2017, Fujimoto was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.