The U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis took a heartbreaking turn when one of the top contenders for the women's Olympic team was injured during podium training.
Skye Blakely, a 19-year-old from Texas, injured her right Achilles tendon and will miss the preliminaries, USA Gymnastics confirmed Thursday.
Blakely had been performing well in practice Wednesday before moving on to the floor exercise, but was injured on the double layout. She was carried off the competition floor with her hands covering her face and escorted out of the arena by medical staff.
She placed second to Simone Biles in the individual all-around at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth earlier this month, and her recent debut of the prized vault move made her all but guaranteed a place on the Paris team.
“I know what I'm capable of because I see myself in practice every day,” Blakely said of her performance in Fort Worth, “but to finally be able to show what I'm capable of on the court and show everyone and myself, it really means a lot to me.”
The scene at the Target Center in Minneapolis was reminiscent of Blakely's experience at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Trials, when she was forced to withdraw at the 11th hour after suffering an elbow injury while warming up for the competition.
Starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 12pm ET, every moment and every medal from the Paris 2024 Olympics will be available to stream on Peacock.
Blakely has competed as a member of the U.S. team at the last two World Championships, winning gold medals in the team event and advancing to the balance beam final both times.
Blakely's withdrawal opens the door for other gymnasts, including Kayla DiCello, Jordan Chiles and reigning Olympic floor exercise champion Jaydee Carey.
