USA Gymnastics team will almost certainly have Simone Biles on its team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Figuring out who else will join her might just depend on who’s still healthy.
Shilese Jones, a member of Team USA’s world champion squads in 2022 and 2023, was ruled out for the rest of the Olympic Trials on Saturday after sustaining an injury warming up for the vault in Day 1. She is the third major contender for the Olympic team to be ruled, joining Skye Blakely and Kayla DiCello.
Jones’ injury left her only able to compete in the uneven bars, where she posted the best score of the competition at 14.675. It was at least a special moment for her mother.
A true competitor. After injuring herself in warmups, Shilese Jones competed on uneven bars and her mom had the sweetest reaction. ️ #USAGTrials24 pic.twitter.com/L8ddKCePkX
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 29, 2024
Jones had previously pulled out of the U.S. Championships with a shoulder injury last month and needed to be granted a petition to be allowed into the Trials.
Her injury is a massive loss for Team USA. She is the only woman in the world to reach the all-around podium in the past two world championships, winning silver behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in 2022 and behind Biles in 2023. If healthy, she was a near-lock to make the Olympic team just through her talents on the uneven bars, with medalist potential in the all-around.
Blakely and DiCello also had shots at the Olympic team until they both ruptured their Achilles tendons this week. Blakely went down two days before the trials during podium training, while DiCello landed badly on her vault and immediately signaled something was wrong.
Kayla Dicellos vault. My heart breaks for her pic.twitter.com/bY4ucHoycA
Andrea Raducan Olympic aa (@GoldRaducan) June 29, 2024
With all three gymnasts out of the competition, the leaderboard at the Trials after Day 1 featured the following Top 5:
1. Simone Biles, 58.9002. Jordan Chiles, 56.4003. Sunisa Lee, 56.0254. Jade Carey, 55.8255. Joscelyn Roberson, 55.475
The five-member Olympic team will be named after Day 2 of the Trials on Sunday.