Naufal Takdir Al Bari, an Indonesian men's gymnast hoping to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics, died after suffering a neck injury while training in Russia.

Naufal Takdir Al Bari, a 19-year-old Indonesian gymnastm died after suffering a neck injury while training in Russia. Photo by Olympics.com from Indonesian Gymnastics Federation/Instagram UPI

Sept. 26 (UPI) -- An elite Indonesian men's gymnast, hoping to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, died after suffering a neck injury while training in Russia.

Naufal Takdir Al Bari, 19, fell into a foam pit during a high bar routine in Penza and died 12 days later on Thursday, according to a post from the Russian Federation. He died at G.A. Zakharyin Hospital while in intensive care.

He was preparing for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship from Oct. 19-25 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and was a candidate for the Olympics in three years.

"Today, we remember Naufal Takdir Al Bari, whose dream was to compete on this arena," the Indonesian Gymnastics Federation posted on Instagram. "May every step we take, every nail we place, and every corner we build be a tribute to his spirit, so that this venue becomes more than just a competition ground, but a place where dreams are celebrated and history is made."

Ita Yuliati, chairman of Indonesian Gymnastics, said in a report on Olympics.com, Al Bari "was a talented young athlete and a good person. Indonesian gymnastics has lost one of the nation's finest sons. This is a deep blow and sorrow for us. May the family be given strength."

Al Bari and four other national artistic gymnasts, along with two coaches, were training at the Palace of Sport Training Center Burtasy since Sept. 1, iMSPORT in Jakarta reported.

The Russian Gymnastics Federation said that they conducted an investigation.

"We conducted the necessary investigation, and all the circumstances surrounding the injury have been established," Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Vasily Titov said in a report by ABC News. "Unfortunately, the athlete was not prepared to perform such a complex element."

Three months ago, Al Bari made his major international debut, competing on floor exercise and pommel horse at the Asian Championships in South Korea.

On July 23, Italian gymnast Lorenzo Bonicelli, 23, went into a medically induced coma after falling during the still rings competition at the 2025 World University Games in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany. He regained consciousness and was transferred to a spinal unit in Milan.

In May 2021, Severine Djala Abak, 21, of Cameroon, died after falling from the uneven bars and suffering a neck injury during training. She regained consciousness but later died.

Soviet star gymnast Elena Mukhina, training in the now-banned Thomas Salto, broke her neck two weeks before the 1980 Olympics in Russia. She was a quadriplegic.