Double world team gymnastics champion Skye Blakely injured her Achilles tendon during the selections in Minneapolis and had to withdraw from the Olympic Games.
Two-time world team gymnastics champion Skye Blakely, one of the favorites for a spot in the U.S. squad for the Paris Olympics, injured her Achilles tendon during trials in Minneapolis and has withdrawn from the Games, the U.S. Gymnastics Federation announced Thursday.
“During podium training on Wednesday, Skye Blakely injured her right Achilles tendon and will no longer be able to compete at the Olympic Trials,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement.
The 19-year-old Texan was injured when she went to the ground, before being taken care of by medical staff and leaving the arena in a wheelchair with her face in her hands. The gymnast was crowned in the team competition at the 2022 (Liverpool) and 2023 (Antwerp) World Championships.
Blakely arrived in Minneapolis after finishing second to superstar Simone Biles earlier this month in the U.S. all-around in Fort Worth, Texas. During the selections for Tokyo in 2021, and when she was only 16 years old, Blakely had already injured herself warming up shortly before the start of the competition and had to withdraw.
The U.S. Olympic trials open Thursday night with the men’s competition. In the women’s competition, scheduled for Friday and Sunday, 15 competitors remain, led by Simone Biles, for five spots on the Olympic team.
