LSU Gymnast KJ Johnson Suffers Broken Foot Injury While Celebrating with Teammates

LSU gymnast KJ Johnson's celebration during the team's victory over Florida on Friday came at a price.

Head coach Jay Clark announced this week that Johnson will miss four to six weeks after breaking a metatarsal bone in her foot when she stepped off a mat wrong while celebrating with teammates.

Injuries are becoming a significant problem for the Tigers with three meets left in the regular season before the SEC championships.

In addition to Johnson's injury, Clark said all-around gymnast Alyona Shchennikova could miss Friday's meet against Alabama in Tuscaloosa with a groin injury.

"Now we're at a point where we're really out of bodies," Clark said.

LSU has been competing without Cammy Hall because of an Achilles injury and Annie Beard, who has a shoulder injury. Kiya Johnson tore her Achilles in a Jan. 13 meet at Kentucky.

Olivia Dunne, who hasn't competed so far this season because of injury, may compete on Friday.

The results this season have shown the Tigers are operating shorthanded. They lost their first three events, though two of those defeats came against teams currently ranked in the top four nationally (No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 4 Utah).

LSU has won three of its past five meets, with the Feb. 17 victory over No. 2 Florida being its high-water mark of the season.

Friday's meet with Alabama will be LSU's final conference event before the SEC championships on March 18. The Tigers will host the Podium Challenge against California, George Washington and Washington on March 3 and West Virginia on March 10.

Johnson could be back for the NCAA regionals that will take place on March 30 and April 1 if LSU makes the field. The NCAA championships are scheduled for April 14-15 in Fort Worth, Texas.