U.S. Gymnastics: What does Skye Blakely’s injury mean for Olympic team?

Skye Blakely was widely considered one of the strongest candidates to make the U.S. Gymnastics Team. An incredible showing at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships made her as close to a lock as possible. At Wednesday’s podium training, Blakely suffered an Achilles injury during her floor exercise that forced her to withdraw from the Olympic Trials, ending her contention for the Paris Olympics. What does this mean for the five-person Olympic team?

The gymnast with the top all-around score after both nights of competition will automatically make the team. A selection committee will decide the remaining four spots. The makeup of the team is a puzzle consisting of which gymnasts will compete in which events in team qualifications and team finals. Some spots look very clear but others are up in the air.

Skye Blakely’s injury opens the door for veterans

37-time World and Olympic medalist Simone Biles is a lock for the Olympic team. Six-time World medalist Shilese Jones is the number two female gymnast in the U.S. Jones’ shoulder injury kept her out of the U.S. Championships, but she successfully petitioned to participate in the Olympic Trials. Friday and Sunday will be a big test for her to show that she’s healthy and ready for the Olympics. Reigning all-around champion Suni Lee is in a good position to make the team, as well. She is still a top all-arounder and her strongest event is the uneven bars.

If Jones shows that she’s good to go, Biles, Jones, and Lee should be on the five-person team. Blakely placed second in the all-around at the U.S. Championships. Who will join Biles, Jones, and Lee now that Blakely is unfortunately injured?

There’s no shortage of talent in USA Gymnastics. Olympians, Olympic alternates, and World Championship team members, are among the crowded field. Those with the best chance of filling the remaining two spots are Olympic champion Jade Carey, Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles, and Olympic alternates and world champions Kayla DiCello and Leanne Wong. Those with a more outside chance of making the team are world champion Joscelyn Roberson and Pan American champion Kaliya Lincoln. In addition to team contributions, the selection committee is looking for gymnasts who have the potential to medal on individual events. 

Jordan Chiles has already proven she can step up to the plate when needed. At the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, she expected to compete in two rotations. With Biles’ withdrawal from the team finals, Chiles stepped in to compete in all four events. She won individual medals in floor exercise and vault at the 2022 World Championships. She’s steady under pressure and can contribute wherever needed. How she performs at the Olympic Trials is critical.

Jade Carey is the reigning Olympic gold medalist on floor. She is a world champion on vault and was favored to win a vault medal at the Tokyo Olympics but a rare mishap left her off the podium. Her potential to win two individual medals makes her case for an Olympic berth very strong. Carey has continued to participate in NCAA gymnastics while training in elite gymnastics, a rare and difficult feat.

Kayla DiCello is back for her second attempt to make the Olympic team after being named an alternate for the Tokyo Olympics. The Florida Gator was on the 2023 World Championship team that brought home a gold medal. She also won an individual bronze in the all-around. DiCello doesn’t bring the same potential for individual medals on one of the four apparatus the way that Carey does, nor is she likely to make the all-around final with the two-per-country rule. With Biles, Jones, Lee, and one of either Chiles or Carey likely to make the team, she would not have much of a shot in the all-around.

Another Florida Gator, Leanne Wong, is in the mix for a spot on the team. Wong was an alternate for the 2020 Olympics alongside DiCello. Like DiCello, she has won an all-around medal at the World Championships, but she would not be likely to make the all-around final at the Olympics due to the two-per-country rule. Wong has won an individual medal at the World Championships on floor. A concern heading into the trials was not having enough difficulty, but she is bringing upgrades to the competition.

A lot is going to come down to how Chiles, Carey, DiCello, and Wong perform at the Olympic Trials this weekend. The selection committee will also consider their performance in the U.S. Championships and other recent competitions. They will calculate the scores, looking at the top scores and average scores for each gymnast to see the potential scores each five-person combination would bring. 

It’s possible the selection committee will take the top five all-arounders from the trials, or they could select someone from outside the top five based on which events they are strongest on and how that aligns with the other selected team members. The team will be selected at the conclusion of the Olympic Trials on Sunday night.