RIO DE JANEIRO — French gymnast Samir Ait Said suffered a ghastly injury on vault during Saturday’s Olympic men’s team qualifying round, snapping his left leg at the knee upon landing awkwardly.

The luckless 26-year-old, who missed the 2012 Games with a right leg injury but was a medal contender here in still rings, sat stoically on the mat while medical personnel examined his shin, which was at a 90-degree angle to his knee. “He was one of the friendliest on the team, which is very difficult,’’ said French team leader Corrine Moustard-Callon. “He came to win a medal and he gave everything 200 percent.’’

The sound of Said’s tibia breaking could be heard throughout the arena as spectators gasped and turned their heads away. Meanwhile, the competition continued around Said, who later was borne off on a stretcher to a prolonged ovation.

“Once I heard everyone go kind of crazy and it seemed pretty serious. I just tried to focus on what I was about to do next,’’ said US competitor Jake Dalton.

“I knew I had to go over to high bar and get ready and that my teammates were counting on me to be prepared for my event and that’s what I wanted to do.’’

Said’s injury, eerily similar to that suffered by Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware during the 2013 NCAA Tournament, followed by one rotation a severe knee injury to Germany’s Andreas Toba on floor exercise that likely ended his Games as well. “I cried like a little kid,’’ said Toba. “The injury on my knee is big, but the emotional injury is way bigger.’’

Still Toba, who had to be helped off the floor, went on to compete on pommel horse where he outscored two of his US rivals. “I decided to do it to help the team,’’ he said. “It is a routine that I could do anyway. I had to do it. Otherwise, we would lose points. It is the Olympics, it’s only every four years.’’

The Americans have not been immune to crippling injuries — John Orozco tore his ACL in training camp after he’d made the squad.

“It’s always a shame when there’s an injury in this sport,’’ said Sam Mikulak, who missed last year’s world meet with an ankle injury after the trials. “It’s absolutely brutal. We learned from John Orozco. Especially when you’re here at the Olympic Games to go down like that, it’s a horrible, horrible, thing.’’