Olympic athlete defied all odds after viewers heard his leg snap during competition

An athlete has defied all odds after suffering one of the most horrendous injuries of the Olympic games.

French gymnast, Samir Aït Saïd, now 34, severely injured his leg during the Rio Olympics, back in 2016.

The injury was so horrific, that those watching actually heard his leg snap.

The injury occurred in Rio (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

It happened when Saïd was trying to land. Unfortunately, he hit the ground awkwardly and snapped his left leg.

He lay on the ground for several minutes as teams tried to work on him.

It was revealed later that he had broken both his tibia and fibia, and was stabilised by medics before being moved to minimise any extra damage.

The athlete made a good recovery and was remarkably walking again within a few days.

“It was very difficult, very emotional,” French teammate Cyril Tommasone said at the time. “It’s very hard for the French and for him. Very difficult.”

But the athlete has defied odds and made a return at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

After finishing his routine earlier this week, he received a huge cheer from the crowds.

“I was on another planet when I finished my move, I don’t even know whether the crowd shouted,” he said afterwards.

Saïd scored 14.966, which earned him a spot in the final, taking place on Sunday (4 August).

Ahead of the final, Saïd is now focusing on recovery.

“Now my two coaches just told me to rest tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Don’t come back to the gym before Tuesday,” he told the Associated Press.

“I know I’m capable of winning that medal.”

Saïd has defied odds to appear at the Paris games (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

In other Olympics news, we told you about the little-known 'facial expression' rule Olympic gymnasts must follow if they want to win.

You might not have noticed, but gymnasts are often seen with colossal grins plastered across their perfectly made-up faces, showing off their pearly whites, or even sticking their tongues out and winking.

Outlined in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) - which contains the most up-to-date rules gymnasts must follow - organisers of these events emphasise that when conducting exercises like the floor, exaggerated faces are key.

"Expression can be defined generally as the attitude and range of emotion exhibited by the gymnast with both her face and through her body," the code of conduct writes.

"This includes how a gymnast generally presents herself and connects with the judges and the audience."