Then, during her final warm-up before the Olympic Trials on Friday night, she landed awkwardly on the vault.
Jones had to be helped out of the arena for treatment, but shortly thereafter produced a strong performance on bars with her left knee bandaged. Details of Jones' injury were not released, and she withdrew from the other three events. The Olympic team won't be announced until the women's team performs again on Sunday night, but any chance of Jones making the Olympics has evaporated.
The ordeals were a reminder of how quickly Olympic dreams can fade. Skye Blakely, the favorite to make the team, ruptured her Achilles two days before the women's competition began, and Kayla DiCello also injured her Achilles during her first competition on vault Friday night. Neither was able to continue. Jones is still hanging on to her chances.
Jones could try additional events on Sunday, or another strong performance on bars could secure her a spot. It's unclear how the selection committee will evaluate an injured skater performing on just one apparatus. Jones' health may improve in the 48 hours between competitions, but for now the outlook is unclear. Jones and her coach, Sarah Korngold, did not respond to interview requests after Friday's competition.
Jones was already struggling with a nagging shoulder injury that resurfaced last month, forcing him to withdraw from the U.S. Championships. A small tear in the labrum is an ongoing issue but is usually manageable. But after a strong showing at the U.S. Classic, Jones suddenly said he could barely lift his arm.
Jones, her coaches and the U.S. High Performance staff agreed that the safe choice was for Jones to miss nationals and recover in time for qualifying. The Olympic team selection procedure includes a petition process that allows athletes to earn a qualifying spot without competing in nationals. That's how Jones got this far.
“I think deep down she wants to compete,” Korngold said earlier this week about Jones' decision to withdraw from the U.S. Championships. “She wants to compete. She wants to show people that she earned this tournament and she's not just going to let it slide.”
After nationals, Jones took about a week off before slowly resuming her full routine. Jones didn't get as many repetitions in training as she and Korngold had hoped, but she was optimistic heading into the qualifiers. Korngold stressed that Jones' shoulder pain had subsided. All she was missing was endurance.
The Olympic Trials were meant to be a key test of Jones's readiness, but another problem emerged.
Jones only performed on the balance beam, but she made her presence felt by scoring 14.675 points, the highest score of any athlete. Considering only Friday's scores, Jones is still one of the five athletes who will maximize the total score for the U.S. team. Her score on the balance beam was enough to boost the team. However, it is unclear whether the selection committee will choose athletes for only one event.
If Jones can perform closer to her ability in one or two more events on Sunday, her prospects for Paris would improve significantly. When healthy, Jones can perform strong enough to qualify for the team final in any event. At last fall's World Championships, Jones contributed in all four events in the team final and advanced to the individual finals on bars, balance beam and floor. Jones was performing consistently well until those injuries derailed her final sprint to the Olympics.
Selection committee members can take into account all of Jones' past successes, but trials will carry the most weight: the team will be chosen on current ability, not which players the committee members think will be strongest in a month's time.
“We always have to look at what's happening right now, in front of us, because that's what we can actually count on,” said Alicia Sacramone Quinn, strategic lead for High Performance Staff and a member of the selection committee.
Jones' recent resume is scant, and she has one more chance to add to it, body permitting.
