Tragic French Gymnast's Dreams Are Broken In Bone Snapping Accident....

The fist day of the Rio summer Olympics just got off to a tragically tough start for a French gymnast. He just lived the nightmare that all athletes fear, a freak accident that will send him prematurely home!

Samir Ait Said severely snapped his leg while vaulting during team preliminaries Saturday. The snap could be heard around the arena as judges covered their faces in shock. The thousands of spectators reacted to the deafening bone crunching sound in dismay and disbelief as it echoed around the arena.

The unlucky gymnast was taken out on a stretcher to a standing ovation, he even bravely raised his arm to acknowledge the support of the shocked spectators.

A class exit even in the midst of his personal nightmare.

Meanwhile, American shooter Ginny Thrasher won the first gold medal of the Rio Olympics, then spoke of her sadness at how America's gun control controversy has affected her sport.

Thrasher, 19, set an Olympic record of 208.0 in the 10-meter air rifle event, clinching victory in a significant upset. China's Du Li and Yu Siling won silver and bronze respectively.

"Some of the (controversy surrounding) gun laws in America is just distracting from our sport, which is very different," Thrasher said.

The sport of shooting has become caught up in discussions over gun rights and the associated political debate. Thrasher's teammate, six-time Olympian Kim Rhode, spoke earlier this week about how new gun measures in her state of California had affected her training because she must complete extensive background checks to buy ammunition for practice. Rhode is an outspoken member of the National Rifle Association and previously spoke on the matter at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

A member of the French men's gymnastics team suffered a horrific injury Saturday that ended his Olympic hopes in Rio. Samir Ait Said broke his leg, which was visibly distorted and bent as he came off the vaulting horse.