Lorenzo Bonicelli “can finally exchange a few words with those around him,” said Paolo Gilardoni, president of the Ghislanzoni Gal club in Lecco where the Italian gymnast trained.
Speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Monday 11 August, Gilardoni described the first days of Bonicelli’s recovery back in Italy following the serious neck injury he suffered on 23 July at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region. “Lorenzo’s father, Simone, is very happy with the way the doctors have welcomed and cared for him. I speak to him every day for updates,” Gilardoni added.
The 23-year-old was injured during his dismount from the rings in the artistic gymnastics qualifications. He was transferred to Milan’s Niguarda Hospital on 7 August after undergoing surgery at the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, to treat a cervical sprain trauma with subluxation of the fifth vertebra. He also had a tracheotomy to help him breathe.
“They’ve now removed one of the tubes,” Gilardoni said. “Of course, his voice is still altered — it’s not ‘his’ yet — because he still has a smaller tube in place to assist his breathing.” Bonicelli has also started eating independently: “He’s begun the weaning process, feeding himself naturally again.”
According to the Italian Gymnastics Federation (FGI), Bonicelli has suffered no cognitive impairment, though there is a neurological injury whose extent cannot yet be determined.
He remained conscious during the transfer from Germany to Italy, accompanied by his family and girlfriend, former gymnast and now nurse Lisa Rigamonti, who thanked supporters in an Instagram post.
The Ghislanzoni Gal club has also launched a fundraising campaign to help support Bonicelli’s rehabilitation.