Skye Blakely out of US Olympic Team trials with injury

Top contender Skye Blakely is out of the US Olympic Team trials after injuring her Achilles just before the trials. GETTY IMAGES

Skye Blakely is missing this week’s Olympic Trials after rupturing her right Achilles on Wednesday during practice. The 19-year-old top contender sustained the injury while practising a tumbling pass on floor exercise at the trial’s venue in Minneapolis. Blakely received medical attention and was later carried off the podium by staff, leaving the arena in a wheelchair.

"This is not the way I saw my Olympic trials going or how my season ends. I’m devastated and heartbroken but I believe everything happens for a reason. I was so close to reaching my dream but this injury was unavoidable. I had an amazing season that I am extremely grateful for," Blakely posted on Instagram.

Skye Blakely's bid to make the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team is over. The 19-year-old, who lives and trains in Frisco, will miss the U.S. Olympic trials after suffering a right Achilles injury during training on Wednesday. https://t.co/oVDcZyJhLJ
— WFAA (@wfaa) June 28, 2024

Blakely was the all-around silver medallist at the Xfinity US Championships four weeks ago, finishing behind Simone Biles, making her a front-runner for a coveted spot on the women's gymnastics team bound for Paris. She was also part of the team that won a gold medal for the US at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2022 and 2023.

This is the second time that Blakely has suffered an injury close to the Olympic Games. She tore an elbow ligament while warming up minutes before competition at the Tokyo Olympic Trials and had to undergo Tommy John surgery. While Blakely is eligible to petition to the US Olympic team leveraging her second-place finish at the recent US nationals, it appears unlikely that she would be healthy in time for the Games.

The ongoing US Gymnastics Olympic trials are on through Sunday with the women’s competition today and Sunday. The women’s all-around winner combining results from the two days of competition automatically makes the Olympic team. A three-person selection committee picks the other four team members, taking into account results from last fall’s world championships.