Gymnast Skye Blakely could be participating in her first Olympic Games this summer. The 19-year-old came in second behind Simone Biles at the U.S. championships on Friday, with an all-around total of 57.050. Her achievement comes after she won two gold medals for her participation in the U.S. championships in both 2022 and 2023.
There are still a few weeks left before the trials for the Paris Olympics at the end of June. She hopes to make the team after her initial Olympic debut was delayed in 2021.
Blakely injured her left elbow, which required surgery, during the 2021 Olympic trials. She tore her ulnar collateral ligament during vault warm-ups, which ended her hopes of participating that year.
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“It was traumatic, and I had to have surgery,” Blakely told The Associated Press. “So that was a big shift in my world, and for while it was hard for me to understand, and it just really hurt my feelings in my heart.”
The gymnast said she worked with a mental coach to regain her healthy mindset while recovering from her injury.
“I didn’t want to talk to anybody,” she said. “Honestly, I kind of shutdown after that meet.”
“Sometimes just talking it out and processing my feelings and what I’ve been through and what I’m going to go through, I feel like that’s helping my brain to better understand and deal with certain situations,” Blakely added. “And that is honestly what helps me the most.”
