US gymnastic frontrunner Skye Blakely has unfortunately withdrawn from the 2024 US Olympic Trials due to a severe injury. The precise nature of the injury was unclear when it occurred during podium training on Wednesday, June 26, but USA Gymnastics has confirmed on June 17 that she sustained an injury to her right Achilles. This is a devastating blow to the 19-year-old gymnast who finished second behind Simone Biles at the 2024 US Gymnastics Championships. Here’s what we know so far about the injury and whether Blakely might still be named to the US Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
How did Skye Blakely get injured at the US Olympic Trials?
Blakely was performing a double layout on floor exercise within the last thirty minutes of podium training when she sustained the Achilles injury, according to USA Today and Olympics.com.
After landing the element, the gymnast fell to the mat and was sobbing while being attended by the medical staff. She was promptly taken off the mat and into a wheelchair before being moved off the floor for the medical team to assess the injury.
The double layout is a difficult, E-rated skill on floor exercise that would have been a minor upgrade to her routine. Blakely performed a D-rated double tuck as her last element in the floor routines she did at the US Gymnastics Championships. The double layout would have given her an extra tenth in D-score.
In 2021, Blakely suffered an elbow injury that took her out of the US Olympic Trials, also during the final warm-up to the competition.
Can Skye Blakely still make the US Olympic Team?
It’s unlikely that Skye Blakely will be able to be a part of the five-member 2024 US Olympic team for women’s gymnastics.
While the severity of the Achilles injury is unknown at this point, it usually takes about three to four weeks for this type of injury to heal. And then it typically takes at least several months before someone can begin to walk and run again on the tendon, let alone perform physically-taxing gymnastics.
So while Blakely could still petition to be included on the Olympic team, chances are low that she will have enough time to recover by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which takes place from July 26 to August 11.
Athing Mu, the 800-meter gold medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, also missed a chance to make the Olympic Games after a trip during US Olympic Trials.
