The lead-up to the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in Minneapolis took a heartbreaking turn after one of the top contenders for the women's Olympic team was injured during podium training.
Skye Blakely, 19, from Texas, ruptured her right Achilles tendon and will not compete in the trials, USA Gymnastics confirmed Thursday.
Blakely was having an excellent training day Wednesday before moving to the floor exercise, where she was injured on a double layout. She was carried off the competition floor with her face in her hands and wheeled out of the arena by medical staff members.
She finished second this month in the all-around to Simone Biles at the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, and was a near-lock for the Paris team, having recently debuted a valuable skill on the vault, the Cheng.
In an Instagram post, Blakely called the ill-timed injury "unavoidable."
"This is not the way I saw my olympic trials going or how my season ends," she said. "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."
The scene at the Target Center in Minneapolis was an echo of her experience at the Tokyo Olympic trials in 2021, when she was forced to withdraw at the eleventh hour after she injured an elbow in warmups.
Blakely competed for Team USA at the two most recent world championships, winning gold medals in the team event and qualifying for the beam finals both years.
Blakely's withdrawal opens up a door for other gymnasts, like Kayla DiCello, Jordan Chiles and reigning Olympic floor champion Jadey Carey.
