Standout freshman gymnast Katelyn Ohashi was diagnosed Friday with a small sternal fracture, almost a week after a faulty balance beam cap caused her to fall dangerously on her neck and upper back during a dismount.

Ohashi’s fall came Jan. 23 at Arizona, when the cap of the beam fell off as she was dismounting. Medical staff cleared the gymnast to continue competition and judges allowed her to repeat her routine because of the equipment malfunction.

Once back in Los Angeles, Ohashi was reevaluated and cleared for activity by UCLA physicians, and also received negative X-ray results, according to a spokesperson for UCLA Athletics.

Ohashi began to feel pain in her sternum, however, during practice Wednesday and underwent a CT scan that revealed the fracture on Friday.

The spokesperson said Ohashi is out until asymptomatic but said the program could not speculate as to the length of the recovery.

Chest pain typically remains for eight to 12 weeks after a sternal fracture, according to the Journal of Emergencies, Trauma and Shock. The average full recovery time for an isolated sternal fracture is 10.4 weeks.

Ohashi earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors in each of the first two weeks of the season.

Compiled by Matt Cummings, Bruin Sports senior staff.

Published by Matt Cummings

Matt Cummings is a senior staff writer covering UCLA football and men's basketball. In the past, he has covered baseball, cross country, women's volleyball and men's tennis. He served as an assistant sports editor in 2015-2016. Follow him on Twitter @MattCummingsDB.

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