it feels so unfair that both Konnor and Skye had the experience of becoming age eligible for Tokyo, not making it, coming back even stronger in 2024, and then getting injured. I hope they are both doing ok and will kill it in 2028
I’m so thankful that the sport has evolved and coming back for LA is a distinct possibility - she’s only 19, she could very well be stronger in four years. Heck Brisbane isn’t out of the question either. The days of this being a career-ender just because she’s not a teenager for much longer are thankfully behind us.
Now I just wish the sport would evolve on injury risk management. The last few months have been a shit show, as was last year before and during worlds. This includes both individual gymnast management (improved conditioning of ankles and knees ahead of major tumbling and vault upgrades for example), and institutional change--allowing safer landings without deductions (ie deeper squats with wider leg separation and lower chest) and providing softer landing surfaces on all events.
Also, Rebeca and her coaches should give a worldwide seminar to managing joints with high difficulty gymnastics, because they've got it dialed in.
The hardest thing is that some people are just more injury prone than others due to genetics, body type, hypermobility, etc. You can do all the injury management in the world, but some bodies just injure more easily than others.
Yeah, that's why the concern is with the quantity more than individual injuries. This "quad" should be studied as a uniquely short one, too, see if insight could be gained on pacing better as we return to traditional quads. There is always a run of injuries in the lead-up to the Games, and you see it across sports as training ramps up and risks must increase to get to peak performance, but this year seems particularly rampant.
Or maybe it's not, I haven't done the math. Used to being crushed, just not in such quantity.
I’m curious tho if this amount of injuries is that weird, (i haven’t been following gymnastics for that long to know for sure) or if it’s a combination of (yea more injuries bc of the short cicle) or we just know more about injuries happening (e.g the amount of injuries pst olympians have had & competed with that we didn’t know until long after the comps happened) and now everyone being more open about it (in the past we would have never known about shileses flare up for example)
I have been wondering all the same things ever since I wrote my comment. There are so many variables!
And a long, long history of hearing about injuries only later, sometimes years later, if they were like Shilese's flare-up, if we ever do. So, yeah, it's hard to compare. I've followed the sport since the 80s but not closely until the run-up to Rio. Speaking of Rio, the entire handling of revealing Laurie Hernandez' ab injury was so messy, and that was only a couple Games ago.
Social media has also made a huge difference in awareness as well, I think. Gymnasts are more open about not just their injuries in many cases but the whole process of returning to the sport. Which has helped me a ton when I've been in physical therapy myself, seeing them grunt along with me, so I'm very grateful! But for sure, it adds to general awareness, too.
Kind of incredible when you stop and think about the vast change in not that long a span.
No. It’s not weird or unusual. The majority of gymnasts at the top level are carrying some chronic injury/pain in the joints from all the accumulated pounding over the years, and they learn to handle it but things can break and fail unexpectedly. The short time before the games is when people are under pressure and injuries flare up.
I would say that whether it's unusually high or not doesn't matter; it's unacceptable regardless. If we had maxed out the reasonable ways to mitigate injuries then that would be one thing, but we haven't. There are ways that both the sport and the training can be improved to make things safer.
Also wanted to add that biomedical engineering, the field most closely linked to injury prevention/management outside of OG medicine itself, is rapidly expanding. Check out Northwest Tissue Mechanics lab in Boise, exactly the type of research this field needs.
Many colleges are just now implementing BME degree programs so it'll take a while for those professionals to reach a level and concentration needed to have a material impact. Like 5-10 years post-bachelor's at minimum.
Truth. They should do more injury management. Everyone would benefit from that, even those of us who are more “breakable.” (I speak from my personal hypermobile experience. I was a dancer, and I could have probably been decent at gymnastics, but my body would have broken!)
I’m very curious what Skye’s floor composition was when this happened. I would assume the DLO was a placeholder for her chuso and the injury was an unfortunate fluke. But I wonder if there were other upgrades or changes that affected her overall stamina during podium training. Sucks either way. Ugh
It's notable that there have been three high-profile new Chengs in elite gymnastics in the last year: Josc, Jess Gadirova, and Skye, and that all 3 of them have had season-ending leg joint injuries shortly after debuting them. Not always doing a Cheng, but it makes me wonder about vault training beating up their connective tissue. Apparently there have been a few other major vault upgrades out with injuries too, like Ondine with her Amanar upgrade. It's enoug of a coincidence to be concerning.
Thats a great point actually. Kind of makes me even more annoyed that they’ve been downgrading vault D scores, because the incentive to do a cheng or an amanar are still there, with even less of a reward. I saw tons of people starting to doubt Jade, saying she should be showing more at Nationals and I’m so happy now that they chose to pace anyway. I get the competition is tight but I’m saying a prayer for Leanne’s knees now too.
It's inevitable that some bodies will not be able to withstand the intense physical demands of training for the Olympics to win medals. No matter how many soft surfaces or safe landing techniques are allowed, as long as athletes see that getting the medals requires difficulty upgrades, they will keep attempting even more challenging moves to gain a competitive edge.
i feel the same—i’m so devastated for her and konnor because they’re two of the most talented gymnasts we have, but i am relieved that this is almost definitely not the last we will see of them.
I wonder why Skye was even doing a DLO, it's not one of her three passes :( It better have been a drill for her double layout full opening pass, if I find out that they were trying to get her to upgrade her dismount, I'd be livid
Could very well be she was intending her opening pass, but tore the Achilles on takeoff (which is the usual mechanism) so didn’t throw the twist in (wisely) while completing the rotations. Maybe ?
Pretty sure when Emily Lee tore her Achilles at the 2020(1) trials it was on the takeoff for her double double. You could tell - she didn't get enough height.
Pretty sure Iordache's Achilles injury at worlds was on the take off as well. I vaguely remember video of it and she was able to bail out of the big skill.
Not sure how close these two are but I hope there’s some element of comfort and support they can find in one another. They were both so close.
And Skye and Konnor specifically hurt so much because they’ve been through so many obstacles and injuries to get to where they were this year. I know no one is *owed* anything in this sport, but it feels like if anyone deserved comeback success it was them. I hope they both find more success in their college programs and come back if and when they’re ready. Just devastating.
They've grown up in elite together, but, like you said- who knows how close they are and what not. But, the same though passed my head-> how beneficial it could be for them to have each other to "go through" this process with - their specifically unique situations - elite/ NCAA/ early eligibility rush for Tokyo/ actually being legit contenders/ etc. - right down to rupturing their achilles on the same damn skill.
I would argue that becomming age eligible before they were supposed to, changing their pacing and putting way too much pressure on them, caused significant harm.
It definitely did not help - mentally or physically, I'd surmise.
At the time I was somewhat excited for them; but I was COMPLETELY ignorant on just how long making appropriate upgrades (and the relevant pre conditioning to do so) really takes in this sport.
This is so devastating.
Doubly sad because as well as the obvious Olympic disappointment, I’m assuming this means she’ll have to redshirt her first season at Florida so won’t get a year competing alongside Sloane which I believe she’d said she was really excited about 😭
Jay said he thought Konnor could be back in time so maybe
Now those caveats are - Konnor happened what 2 months ago? A month ago? Regardless she has more lead time to heal.
And Jay always seems a little suspect with gymnasts and injuries though I do think he does genuinely care about them.
So all and all not sure
I expect Jenny to be a little more careful with Skye, especially considering how powerful the Leanne/Kayla/Selena/Anya quartet can be. But I can see Skye pushing for at least one or two lineups if it’s possible so she can compete alongside Sloane.
Gutted for her. I can't imagine being this close to making the team and then something like this happens. Wishing her all the best in her recovery, and I hope no one else is seriously injured this weekend
I honestly don’t know how I would ever reconcile this happening to me TWICE. She said she had been working with a therapist since 2021 trials and I’m glad she has that support. I hope she can heal up and even if she doesn’t come back to elite, can still enjoy her time at Florida.
It’s a popular internet meme at the moment from Justin Timberlake’s DUI arrest. Apparently the cop who arrested him was very young and didn’t know who he was. While he was being cuffed Justin mumbled “this is going to ruin the tour” and the cop said “what tour?” And Justin said “the world tour.”
It's ok. It's a reference to Justin Timberlake being a toolbag, yet again 😂 it's not a gymnastics related comment.
Timberlake mumbling that his arrest was going to “ruin the tour.” The officer asked, “What tour?” Timberlake replied, “The world tour.”
But also I’m like could she petition directly to the team if she tries for LA, Olympic trials is cursed for her!!
Edited to clarify I meant for LA. She’s obviously not able to petition to this team for Paris.
The recovery time for achilles tears is significant, I can't imagine she will compete in NCAA next year with rehabbing but she will be back. The comeback timeline is so much better now than it used to be.
I keep thinking about Skye’s recent interview talking about the trauma of what happened at the last Olympic trials, and the tough work with her therapist to overcome that mental anguish. I don’t even know how you begin to move forward when this has happened two times in a row. I am praying that she can just take it one day at a time. 💔
This is what was going through my mind especially given that she was so much closer and more likely to make it this go around - she could’ve come in 2nd or 3rd and been more of a lock had she continued like she was last competition. She’s always been really talented and a hard worker, so she had what it takes to place really well, but nerves have gotten to her and now she was getting into the groove and becoming more consistent- then this happens… So extremely heartbreaking and frustrating.
She was peaking at the right time and then this happens. Sometimes life isn’t fair. Hoping for a speedy recovery and that she heals physically and mentally. She will a be top contender in 2028. I feel it
Between Konnor and Skye, I need to just stop rooting for individual gymnasts because they get injured every time I get too invested.
So sad for Skye. She was just hitting her stride.
Ugh NOOOOO I can’t even imagine the mental anguish she must be going through right now. Her Olympic dream was taken from her when it was in her grasp. Not to mention the physical pain of an Achilles injury. Poor Skye. It feels like she’s cursed 😭
I really really hope she has the right mental/emotional support for this. I can’t imagine how awful getting injured before 2 trials must be, especially since she was likely going to Paris. Sending her love and wishing her a speedy recovery 💔
So heartbroken for Skye, makes me even more glad that she got to have that killer performance and silver medal finish at nationals.
Does anyone know if this is a re-injury? Last year folks here on reddit were talking about her coming back from an achilles injury sustained in the off-season (and her floor definitely looked like she was coming back from injury in 2023), but I can't find any confirmation online. I also don't know which achilles it would have been, left or right.
She’s definitely mentioned having Achilles tendinitis before and managing her tumbling reps but I don’t know if it’s the same one that presumably tore here
This feels like one of the most devastating close to Olympic trials injuries I can remember. Last one that broke me like this was Morgan White. Skye did EVERYTHING she could to be on this team - and she was going to be on this team. She paced the herself whole quad. She made the right teams to have the resume. She updated at the right times. And she came out guns blazing this recent run to not only put herself as a lock on this team but even start to threaten Shilese’s solid second AA spot in other a hit meet scenario . I’m always going to consider Skye Blakely a 2024 Olympian in my head.
God this is just so awful. Wishing her so much peace and comfort. I hope she has a strong support system - I think it was hard enough to be injured once, but twice, both times at Trials, this time when she was SO close to the Team…. Just devastating. A million hugs to her.
Praying that the other athletes stay safe this weekend and in the coming weeks.
If she goes for LA 2028 and if she is like one of the top 2 after championships, I say she gets an exempt status and just goes straight to the team (no trials) 😉.
I’m so gutted for Skye 😭 unfortunately this seems like it happens every Olympic cycle in this sport… early in the quad it always seems like there’s so many options and it’s the most competitive ever, but then as the Olympics get close, athletes aren’t paced the best, injuries happen, etc making the team more clear cut. I really thought Skye had it this year though 💔
💔 This is absolutely devastating & heartbreaking. I REALLY hope she has an amazing support team around her to help with her mental health, not just her physical health, at this time & going forward. ❤️🩹
Dang. Somebody really has it out for her. And on a skill she's been doing for like 4 years not on any of the new stuff. Incredibly tough to feel cheated both times.
She has a great support system so hopefully she's ble to bounce back.
Ah, I feel so bad for her. Not only two trials in a row, but also sustaining a major injury right in her prime, when her spot on the team was an almost totally sure thing. I hope she heals well and finishes out her gymnastics career, be it in NCAA or back in elite for 2028, on her own terms.
Also, the fan in me can’t help but mourn what a Simone/Shi/Suni/Konnor/Skye team would have been.
She’s been battling this Achilles off and on since 2022…I can remember it limiting her at 2022 Winter Cup. It’s terrible she couldn’t have made it another 6 weeks 😢
Literally the worst news i’ve heard this year for gymnastics. Has any elite gymnasts come back from achilles tear? This is so bad for gymnasts needing that explosive feet strength.
Damn it!!!!!!!
Alicia Sacromone! She tore her Achilles on the takeoff of a double Arabian at the 2011 Tokyo worlds. Came back less than a year after for 2012 Olympic trials on two events, vault and beam. Larisa iordache, came back from her 2017 Achilles injury to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
I remember I think from her interview on gymcastic that she was hooked up with really good dr’s and pt’s from the nfl thanks to Brady and that really helped her comeback. Could Alicia do Skye a solid and hook her up with those people please?!
I believe Uchimura Kohei tore his Achilles in 2017 (it was at least some sort of tendon rupture) and he came back to competition. Artur Dalaloyan went back to competing the all around after his Achilles rupture, and is still competes - his recovery is obvious suspect but he still waw able to compete.
The way I just yelled in my office at work. Damnit, Skye. I’m so upset and devastated for her. She was really starting to prove many people wrong and was really doing her thing at just the right time. If she DID get injured, I wish it had happened AFTER she was named to the team. Or she pulled like a Danusia Francis at the last quad and just touched the bar lol. But on a different note, there definitely goes our chance of an all-Black 2024 Olympic team. I knew it was a long shot, but now there is no more shot 😭😩😔
The best thing about this situation for Skye is hopefully it wasn’t filmed and she won’t have to watch the replay on NBC/Peacock, like they did with her elbow injury.
Yes. For major events (like Trials, or the Games), competition apparatus' are placed on a raised podium. That changes how the apparatus' behaves when an athlete compete on it compared to an apparatus places on the floor (it makes it bouncier, as I understand it). As the athlete very seldomly compete on podiums, the podium training is there for them to get accustomed to the equipment and how it reacts/feels on a podium.
The advantage of the podium is usually the line of sight. The apparatus is higher up, and except for the athlete competing (and the spotter, if allowed), nobody else may be on the podium - it is a deduction if an athlete remains on the podium. With that, the podium leads to a visually "cleaner" environment that looks better and focuses on the routine, and the risk that somebody stands in front of the judges or the cameras is drastically reduced/eliminated.
To my knowledge, mostly cost. It is technically quite complicated to install some of the apparatus' safely on a podium (Uneven bars, high bars, pommel horse, etc. need to be anchored on the podium as well as on the floor below), and a "gymnastics-rated" podium in itself is probably quite expensive and assembling and disassembling it is labour intensive.
Yep it’s quite expensive to maintain a podium. In NCAA there are very few meets held on podium until the post season so the invitational meets with a lot of teams (ie Metroplex challenge, elevate the stage, super 16) in order to get podium experience during the regular season before post season.
I feel terrible for Skye. I remember being happily surprised how strong Skye looked back in 2022 after her elbow injury. I had suffered a deep elbow sprain after in popped out of place as a result colliding with someone while tumbling. I hope can mentally come back from this in addition to her physical.
I was so looking forward to watching her kill it this weekend and making that team. This is beyond devastating & I hope she has all the support she needs right now 🥺♥️
I’m not adding anything by commenting how heartbreaking this is, but … it is. I’ve been quietly enjoying Skye’s gymnastics for awhile and was genuinely excited to see her in Paris this year. I can’t imagine the emotional toll for her in addition to her physical recovery and wish her so much fortitude and support.
This is not a productive comment whatsoever but dammit- getting invested in sports is like the dumbest, most heartbreaking hobby everrrrr. Ughhhhhhhh 💔💔💔
I know there is so much we can do about injury prevention but I think we really need to study Achilles tears and gymnastics. There are definitely some patterns happening.
it feels so unfair that both Konnor and Skye had the experience of becoming age eligible for Tokyo, not making it, coming back even stronger in 2024, and then getting injured. I hope they are both doing ok and will kill it in 2028
I’m so thankful that the sport has evolved and coming back for LA is a distinct possibility - she’s only 19, she could very well be stronger in four years. Heck Brisbane isn’t out of the question either. The days of this being a career-ender just because she’s not a teenager for much longer are thankfully behind us.
also third time's a charm! #LA2028
Now I just wish the sport would evolve on injury risk management. The last few months have been a shit show, as was last year before and during worlds. This includes both individual gymnast management (improved conditioning of ankles and knees ahead of major tumbling and vault upgrades for example), and institutional change--allowing safer landings without deductions (ie deeper squats with wider leg separation and lower chest) and providing softer landing surfaces on all events. Also, Rebeca and her coaches should give a worldwide seminar to managing joints with high difficulty gymnastics, because they've got it dialed in.
The hardest thing is that some people are just more injury prone than others due to genetics, body type, hypermobility, etc. You can do all the injury management in the world, but some bodies just injure more easily than others.
Yeah, that's why the concern is with the quantity more than individual injuries. This "quad" should be studied as a uniquely short one, too, see if insight could be gained on pacing better as we return to traditional quads. There is always a run of injuries in the lead-up to the Games, and you see it across sports as training ramps up and risks must increase to get to peak performance, but this year seems particularly rampant. Or maybe it's not, I haven't done the math. Used to being crushed, just not in such quantity.
I’m curious tho if this amount of injuries is that weird, (i haven’t been following gymnastics for that long to know for sure) or if it’s a combination of (yea more injuries bc of the short cicle) or we just know more about injuries happening (e.g the amount of injuries pst olympians have had & competed with that we didn’t know until long after the comps happened) and now everyone being more open about it (in the past we would have never known about shileses flare up for example)
I have been wondering all the same things ever since I wrote my comment. There are so many variables! And a long, long history of hearing about injuries only later, sometimes years later, if they were like Shilese's flare-up, if we ever do. So, yeah, it's hard to compare. I've followed the sport since the 80s but not closely until the run-up to Rio. Speaking of Rio, the entire handling of revealing Laurie Hernandez' ab injury was so messy, and that was only a couple Games ago. Social media has also made a huge difference in awareness as well, I think. Gymnasts are more open about not just their injuries in many cases but the whole process of returning to the sport. Which has helped me a ton when I've been in physical therapy myself, seeing them grunt along with me, so I'm very grateful! But for sure, it adds to general awareness, too. Kind of incredible when you stop and think about the vast change in not that long a span.
Exactly. McKayla Maroney was hella injured in London because Marta is a fucking monster
what's was Laurie's injury??
Torn abdominal muscle I think. She apparently wasn't able to do bars and was in a lot of pain on the other events.
No. It’s not weird or unusual. The majority of gymnasts at the top level are carrying some chronic injury/pain in the joints from all the accumulated pounding over the years, and they learn to handle it but things can break and fail unexpectedly. The short time before the games is when people are under pressure and injuries flare up.
I would say that whether it's unusually high or not doesn't matter; it's unacceptable regardless. If we had maxed out the reasonable ways to mitigate injuries then that would be one thing, but we haven't. There are ways that both the sport and the training can be improved to make things safer.
Also wanted to add that biomedical engineering, the field most closely linked to injury prevention/management outside of OG medicine itself, is rapidly expanding. Check out Northwest Tissue Mechanics lab in Boise, exactly the type of research this field needs. Many colleges are just now implementing BME degree programs so it'll take a while for those professionals to reach a level and concentration needed to have a material impact. Like 5-10 years post-bachelor's at minimum.
That's true, but "all the injury management in the world" isn't what's happening right now.
Truth. They should do more injury management. Everyone would benefit from that, even those of us who are more “breakable.” (I speak from my personal hypermobile experience. I was a dancer, and I could have probably been decent at gymnastics, but my body would have broken!)
I’m very curious what Skye’s floor composition was when this happened. I would assume the DLO was a placeholder for her chuso and the injury was an unfortunate fluke. But I wonder if there were other upgrades or changes that affected her overall stamina during podium training. Sucks either way. Ugh
It's notable that there have been three high-profile new Chengs in elite gymnastics in the last year: Josc, Jess Gadirova, and Skye, and that all 3 of them have had season-ending leg joint injuries shortly after debuting them. Not always doing a Cheng, but it makes me wonder about vault training beating up their connective tissue. Apparently there have been a few other major vault upgrades out with injuries too, like Ondine with her Amanar upgrade. It's enoug of a coincidence to be concerning.
Thats a great point actually. Kind of makes me even more annoyed that they’ve been downgrading vault D scores, because the incentive to do a cheng or an amanar are still there, with even less of a reward. I saw tons of people starting to doubt Jade, saying she should be showing more at Nationals and I’m so happy now that they chose to pace anyway. I get the competition is tight but I’m saying a prayer for Leanne’s knees now too.
It's inevitable that some bodies will not be able to withstand the intense physical demands of training for the Olympics to win medals. No matter how many soft surfaces or safe landing techniques are allowed, as long as athletes see that getting the medals requires difficulty upgrades, they will keep attempting even more challenging moves to gain a competitive edge.
i feel the same—i’m so devastated for her and konnor because they’re two of the most talented gymnasts we have, but i am relieved that this is almost definitely not the last we will see of them.
Simone was 19 at her first Olympics and is about to be in her 4th! Skye definitely has it in her to do 2028 and beyond
Both getting injured on DLOs too 😭
Cursed pass now!
Double layouts are cancelled
Agreed! Trinity, Konnor, Skye… why does the universe hate them 😭
I wonder why Skye was even doing a DLO, it's not one of her three passes :( It better have been a drill for her double layout full opening pass, if I find out that they were trying to get her to upgrade her dismount, I'd be livid
Could very well be she was intending her opening pass, but tore the Achilles on takeoff (which is the usual mechanism) so didn’t throw the twist in (wisely) while completing the rotations. Maybe ?
OMG, the idea of tearing an achilles going *into* a double layout sounds terrifying!
Achilles tears on tumbling passes are almost always on takeoff.
That's fascinating... Do we know why?
They’re normally a punching injury
As I understand it, Achilles tears are usually on takeoff. That’s how Eli Seitz has described hers (on a double Arabian, I think).
Pretty sure when Emily Lee tore her Achilles at the 2020(1) trials it was on the takeoff for her double double. You could tell - she didn't get enough height.
Pretty sure Iordache's Achilles injury at worlds was on the take off as well. I vaguely remember video of it and she was able to bail out of the big skill.
Right!!?? Like to find a way to safely land - has to be terrifying!
This is what happened to Konnor at Classics.
Not sure how close these two are but I hope there’s some element of comfort and support they can find in one another. They were both so close. And Skye and Konnor specifically hurt so much because they’ve been through so many obstacles and injuries to get to where they were this year. I know no one is *owed* anything in this sport, but it feels like if anyone deserved comeback success it was them. I hope they both find more success in their college programs and come back if and when they’re ready. Just devastating.
They've grown up in elite together, but, like you said- who knows how close they are and what not. But, the same though passed my head-> how beneficial it could be for them to have each other to "go through" this process with - their specifically unique situations - elite/ NCAA/ early eligibility rush for Tokyo/ actually being legit contenders/ etc. - right down to rupturing their achilles on the same damn skill.
I would argue that becomming age eligible before they were supposed to, changing their pacing and putting way too much pressure on them, caused significant harm.
It definitely did not help - mentally or physically, I'd surmise. At the time I was somewhat excited for them; but I was COMPLETELY ignorant on just how long making appropriate upgrades (and the relevant pre conditioning to do so) really takes in this sport.
Weren’t they both at WOGA too?
Konnor left WOGA and she was training with Jay only. She didn’t have an elite gym anymore.
Well technically she was training with the McCool- Griffiths as her elite coaches at lsu.
Yes but I think Skye is at the other location? Or trains with a different set of coaches at least
Yes Skye is in Frisco. Konnor was in Plano.
This is so deeply unfair. Two Trials in a row. Sending her all the love 💕💕💕💕
This is so devastating. Doubly sad because as well as the obvious Olympic disappointment, I’m assuming this means she’ll have to redshirt her first season at Florida so won’t get a year competing alongside Sloane which I believe she’d said she was really excited about 😭
I didn't even think of that part, that's so sad.
If the injury is a tear, MAYBE she can do bars? Didn’t Alyona compete bars at LSU with a very similar timeline of tearing her Achilles?
Jay said he thought Konnor could be back in time so maybe Now those caveats are - Konnor happened what 2 months ago? A month ago? Regardless she has more lead time to heal. And Jay always seems a little suspect with gymnasts and injuries though I do think he does genuinely care about them. So all and all not sure
I expect Jenny to be a little more careful with Skye, especially considering how powerful the Leanne/Kayla/Selena/Anya quartet can be. But I can see Skye pushing for at least one or two lineups if it’s possible so she can compete alongside Sloane.
I could see her sacrificing a full year and agreeing to wait until halfway through the season to do only bars to have that experience with her sister
She needs to just redshirt and keep her year.
I wonder what the injury is, maybe it's more minor
Gutted for her. I can't imagine being this close to making the team and then something like this happens. Wishing her all the best in her recovery, and I hope no one else is seriously injured this weekend
I honestly don’t know how I would ever reconcile this happening to me TWICE. She said she had been working with a therapist since 2021 trials and I’m glad she has that support. I hope she can heal up and even if she doesn’t come back to elite, can still enjoy her time at Florida.
This is going to ruin the tour
You win the comments.
what tour?
the world tour
….the world tour
Okay this cracked me up 😂
Im crying 💀😂
?
It’s a popular internet meme at the moment from Justin Timberlake’s DUI arrest. Apparently the cop who arrested him was very young and didn’t know who he was. While he was being cuffed Justin mumbled “this is going to ruin the tour” and the cop said “what tour?” And Justin said “the world tour.”
It's ok. It's a reference to Justin Timberlake being a toolbag, yet again 😂 it's not a gymnastics related comment. Timberlake mumbling that his arrest was going to “ruin the tour.” The officer asked, “What tour?” Timberlake replied, “The world tour.”
Thanks! I feel cooler knowing 🙌
LOL, omg...
this fucking sport, man!!!!! so sad for her
She was so good at Nationals and I really thought she had this finally locked up. This is so devastating for her. Wishing her a speedy recovery 🩷
This is truly heartbreaking. 💔 I hope she takes plenty of time to recover and heal and comes back swinging in 2028.
But also I’m like could she petition directly to the team if she tries for LA, Olympic trials is cursed for her!! Edited to clarify I meant for LA. She’s obviously not able to petition to this team for Paris.
Honestly, I would have so much PTSD
That petition should 100% be accepted. LA team is Skye, and then whoever else.
She tore her Achilles. She's not doing gymnastics for a long time.
Yeah I meant for LA lol I will edit my comment.
The recovery time for achilles tears is significant, I can't imagine she will compete in NCAA next year with rehabbing but she will be back. The comeback timeline is so much better now than it used to be.
yeah, it'll be a few months recovery before she can even start rehab.
I keep thinking about Skye’s recent interview talking about the trauma of what happened at the last Olympic trials, and the tough work with her therapist to overcome that mental anguish. I don’t even know how you begin to move forward when this has happened two times in a row. I am praying that she can just take it one day at a time. 💔
This is what was going through my mind especially given that she was so much closer and more likely to make it this go around - she could’ve come in 2nd or 3rd and been more of a lock had she continued like she was last competition. She’s always been really talented and a hard worker, so she had what it takes to place really well, but nerves have gotten to her and now she was getting into the groove and becoming more consistent- then this happens… So extremely heartbreaking and frustrating.
Bruh she had such a good chance this is devastating 😭😭 NO ONE ELSE GET INJURED OR ILL CRY
She was peaking at the right time and then this happens. Sometimes life isn’t fair. Hoping for a speedy recovery and that she heals physically and mentally. She will a be top contender in 2028. I feel it
Why am I actually crying... This is so sad.
I figured it was her Achilles 😭 but so devastating for this to happen again … she was so close 😭
STOP. This was her year. And her year to compete with Sloane at Florida 😭😭😭😭
Me, a dummy, not realizing until JUST now that Skye and Sloane are sisters. How the same last name went over my head idk?! This is so devastating.
lol also they look very similar
When Skye was wheeled off crying, I knew it wasn’t something minor :/ but I hate it. this really felt like her year to make the team. 💔
this sport is so unfair sometimes💔
Between Konnor and Skye, I need to just stop rooting for individual gymnasts because they get injured every time I get too invested. So sad for Skye. She was just hitting her stride.
ok between skye and cameron brink, i have two achilles i’m not using… who’s with me…
just throw me in a bin labeled “spare parts” for all women’s sports please
Brink was an ACL not Achilles but youll be more balanced this way 😂
Ugh NOOOOO I can’t even imagine the mental anguish she must be going through right now. Her Olympic dream was taken from her when it was in her grasp. Not to mention the physical pain of an Achilles injury. Poor Skye. It feels like she’s cursed 😭
Heartbreaking 💔 We are all thinking of you Skye!
I need a drink and a shoulder to cry on
I really really hope she has the right mental/emotional support for this. I can’t imagine how awful getting injured before 2 trials must be, especially since she was likely going to Paris. Sending her love and wishing her a speedy recovery 💔
Heartbreaking. Skye, you will come back better than ever!
Achilles are cancelled, with ACLs. So sad for Skye
Skye wouldnt have made the Tokyo team anyway but she stood a great chance to make it this time before the injury…
We kinda knew but i am GUTTED. imma need people to sage her if she goes for LA
Between Athing Mu and Skye this has been an absolutely devastating week.
Utterly heartbroken for her. The worst luck.
I'm sick 😭
So heartbroken for Skye, makes me even more glad that she got to have that killer performance and silver medal finish at nationals. Does anyone know if this is a re-injury? Last year folks here on reddit were talking about her coming back from an achilles injury sustained in the off-season (and her floor definitely looked like she was coming back from injury in 2023), but I can't find any confirmation online. I also don't know which achilles it would have been, left or right.
She’s definitely mentioned having Achilles tendinitis before and managing her tumbling reps but I don’t know if it’s the same one that presumably tore here
This feels like one of the most devastating close to Olympic trials injuries I can remember. Last one that broke me like this was Morgan White. Skye did EVERYTHING she could to be on this team - and she was going to be on this team. She paced the herself whole quad. She made the right teams to have the resume. She updated at the right times. And she came out guns blazing this recent run to not only put herself as a lock on this team but even start to threaten Shilese’s solid second AA spot in other a hit meet scenario . I’m always going to consider Skye Blakely a 2024 Olympian in my head.
#CANCEL THE OLYMPICS IM BEING SERIOUS
oh that is just awful. i feel so bad for her. truly thought she was a shoo in for the team.
God this is just so awful. Wishing her so much peace and comfort. I hope she has a strong support system - I think it was hard enough to be injured once, but twice, both times at Trials, this time when she was SO close to the Team…. Just devastating. A million hugs to her. Praying that the other athletes stay safe this weekend and in the coming weeks.
Many athletes will get redemption in Los Angeles 2028! Konnor, gabby,skye, athing mu from track
If she goes for LA 2028 and if she is like one of the top 2 after championships, I say she gets an exempt status and just goes straight to the team (no trials) 😉.
First Konnor, and now Skye. All of my favs getting injured. 😢😭
This is the worst news. Skye is so so young, I hope she can come back strong and go for 2028 if that's what she wants!
Two trials in a row. 💔 The gym gods will shine bright on her at UF.
I’m so gutted for Skye 😭 unfortunately this seems like it happens every Olympic cycle in this sport… early in the quad it always seems like there’s so many options and it’s the most competitive ever, but then as the Olympics get close, athletes aren’t paced the best, injuries happen, etc making the team more clear cut. I really thought Skye had it this year though 💔
A brutal sport. She was quite literally at her peak so far this time around. But hopefully she can focus on her accomplishments in this sport.
💔 This is absolutely devastating & heartbreaking. I REALLY hope she has an amazing support team around her to help with her mental health, not just her physical health, at this time & going forward. ❤️🩹
Absolutely heartbreaking.
Holy. Shit. This is unbelievable. I feel absolutely terrible for her!!
Dang. Somebody really has it out for her. And on a skill she's been doing for like 4 years not on any of the new stuff. Incredibly tough to feel cheated both times. She has a great support system so hopefully she's ble to bounce back.
I feel so sad for Skye since this is the second Olympic trials in a row where she is injured before completing any events. 💔
I want to downvote this 1 billion times.
Ah, I feel so bad for her. Not only two trials in a row, but also sustaining a major injury right in her prime, when her spot on the team was an almost totally sure thing. I hope she heals well and finishes out her gymnastics career, be it in NCAA or back in elite for 2028, on her own terms. Also, the fan in me can’t help but mourn what a Simone/Shi/Suni/Konnor/Skye team would have been.
A \*dream\* team !!! (So sad right now!)
She’s been battling this Achilles off and on since 2022…I can remember it limiting her at 2022 Winter Cup. It’s terrible she couldn’t have made it another 6 weeks 😢
Omg I didn’t know it had been that long. What terrible timing
Literally the worst news i’ve heard this year for gymnastics. Has any elite gymnasts come back from achilles tear? This is so bad for gymnasts needing that explosive feet strength. Damn it!!!!!!!
Alicia Sacromone! She tore her Achilles on the takeoff of a double Arabian at the 2011 Tokyo worlds. Came back less than a year after for 2012 Olympic trials on two events, vault and beam. Larisa iordache, came back from her 2017 Achilles injury to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
I remember I think from her interview on gymcastic that she was hooked up with really good dr’s and pt’s from the nfl thanks to Brady and that really helped her comeback. Could Alicia do Skye a solid and hook her up with those people please?!
Me being dumb and thinking you were referring to Tom Brady 💀
Haha hey if he could pull some strings too that would great
Thank you this is good. Praying skye can recover just as well.
I believe Uchimura Kohei tore his Achilles in 2017 (it was at least some sort of tendon rupture) and he came back to competition. Artur Dalaloyan went back to competing the all around after his Achilles rupture, and is still competes - his recovery is obvious suspect but he still waw able to compete.
Courtney Kupets and Alicia Sacramone, just off the top of my head.
Becky Downie, twice!
This is so devastating. Wishing her a speedy and thorough recovery!
That’s awful. I feel so terrible for her
How awful. I’m now rooting for her for 2024 no matter what state her gymnastics is in!
So sad for Skye.
Bloody devastating, poor Skye
What horrible news to wake up to.
put all the gymnasts in bubble wrap
Beyond heartbroken for her 💔
that’s so devastating for her. i hope she goes for LA.
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear this.
This is so disturbing. She was soooo likely to make the team. I am so sad for her. To happen twice, ugh I can't imagine
NOOOOOO I am gutted. Again man, so not fair. I certainly hope it doesn’t hinder her collegiate start either. So she can have a great start.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo
Absolutely gutted for her. She would have made it. Life can be so cruel :'(
So sad for both her and Konnor 😭
Depressed all over again!
It's a hard time to be a Konnor fan
Amen! She just posted 1/2 bars routine on ig - just gorgeous. (It’s obviously recorded pre injury, but for a second I was like MAYBE a miracle!)
Thank you, just ran to watch it! ❤️
Oh, how devastating. She was going to EAT.
The way I just yelled in my office at work. Damnit, Skye. I’m so upset and devastated for her. She was really starting to prove many people wrong and was really doing her thing at just the right time. If she DID get injured, I wish it had happened AFTER she was named to the team. Or she pulled like a Danusia Francis at the last quad and just touched the bar lol. But on a different note, there definitely goes our chance of an all-Black 2024 Olympic team. I knew it was a long shot, but now there is no more shot 😭😩😔
Who would the fifth member of this team have been? Kaliya Lincoln? I have Simone, Shilese, Skye, Jordan
In theory, yes since Konnor and Gabby are out.
The best thing about this situation for Skye is hopefully it wasn’t filmed and she won’t have to watch the replay on NBC/Peacock, like they did with her elbow injury.
Dumb question: What is podium training? Practice before the actual scored trials?
Yes. For major events (like Trials, or the Games), competition apparatus' are placed on a raised podium. That changes how the apparatus' behaves when an athlete compete on it compared to an apparatus places on the floor (it makes it bouncier, as I understand it). As the athlete very seldomly compete on podiums, the podium training is there for them to get accustomed to the equipment and how it reacts/feels on a podium.
I...somehow never knew that. Why are they on a podium for the Games? Do they even do that for Worlds?
Yes, worlds are always on a podium. Continental championships usually (always?) are too.
The advantage of the podium is usually the line of sight. The apparatus is higher up, and except for the athlete competing (and the spotter, if allowed), nobody else may be on the podium - it is a deduction if an athlete remains on the podium. With that, the podium leads to a visually "cleaner" environment that looks better and focuses on the routine, and the risk that somebody stands in front of the judges or the cameras is drastically reduced/eliminated.
Then that raises the question: Why not make that normal?
To my knowledge, mostly cost. It is technically quite complicated to install some of the apparatus' safely on a podium (Uneven bars, high bars, pommel horse, etc. need to be anchored on the podium as well as on the floor below), and a "gymnastics-rated" podium in itself is probably quite expensive and assembling and disassembling it is labour intensive.
That makes sense. I learned something today 🙂
Yep it’s quite expensive to maintain a podium. In NCAA there are very few meets held on podium until the post season so the invitational meets with a lot of teams (ie Metroplex challenge, elevate the stage, super 16) in order to get podium experience during the regular season before post season.
So bummed for her, just awful
No no no no!!!! I’m heartbroken for her! She’s still just getting started, though, regardless of how devastating this seems now.
This is horrible, and when she was doing so well. Gutted for her.
I’m so devastated for her. I was rooting so much for her and she was basically on the team. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and it did.
Wow hope she has a good support system around her!
Fuck sake. This is terrible
I feel terrible for Skye. I remember being happily surprised how strong Skye looked back in 2022 after her elbow injury. I had suffered a deep elbow sprain after in popped out of place as a result colliding with someone while tumbling. I hope can mentally come back from this in addition to her physical.
I feel so bad 😔 I can’t even imagine
I was so looking forward to watching her kill it this weekend and making that team. This is beyond devastating & I hope she has all the support she needs right now 🥺♥️
I’m not adding anything by commenting how heartbreaking this is, but … it is. I’ve been quietly enjoying Skye’s gymnastics for awhile and was genuinely excited to see her in Paris this year. I can’t imagine the emotional toll for her in addition to her physical recovery and wish her so much fortitude and support.
Poor Skye. There are no words for this. I’m gutted for her and hope she can move forward at some point and make peace with just everything.
This is not a productive comment whatsoever but dammit- getting invested in sports is like the dumbest, most heartbreaking hobby everrrrr. Ughhhhhhhh 💔💔💔
YOU ARE KIDDING? Will someone pretty please let USAG know that april fools was quite a while ago?
Excuse my language but FUUUUUUUUUCK! 😭😭😭
Why did they have to do two workouts yesterday. So sad for her 😭
I know there is so much we can do about injury prevention but I think we really need to study Achilles tears and gymnastics. There are definitely some patterns happening.
DLO's are cancelled. Cancelled I say!!! Justice for Konnor and Skye!
I can’t do this sht anymore why is it always a fav
That’s very sad. I imagine it must be hard to deal with physically but also mentally when she looked so good and was poised to be an Olympian.
This is so awful for her. I don’t even know what to say.
i'm so sad over this!
So so so sad!
Absolutely devastated for her. Injury at both olympic trials just so so so unfair 😭
I am so sad for her. I don't even have the words. This is just awful.
Nooooooooooo
Is it a full-on tear?
In Skye’s own post just now she confirms it’s ruptured yes 😓
Poor girl. That is just so damn sad.
Heartbreaking for her. Hopefully she can break the trials curse in 28.
Absolutely gutted 😭😭😭😭😭