Gabby Douglas pens heartfelt note to Shilese Jones after the latter's withdrawal from U.S. Olympic Gymnastic Trials

Gabby Douglas reacted to Shilese Jones' withdrawal from the 2024 US Olympic Gymnastics Trials, ending her run for the Paris Olympics. Jones bent her knee awkwardly and was carried off the competition while warming up on the vault on Friday.

Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist withdrew from the US Championships 2024, after sustaining an ankle injury during training.

Shilese Jones recently faced a hurtful fate at the 2024 US Olympic Gymnastics Trials and pulled out from the Olympic roster. She had a similar unfortunate ending to her Olympic run like Douglas.

Being one of the top seeds going into the Trials, Jones received a heartfelt note from her older compatriot, Gabby Douglas, after the update by USA Gymnastics surfaced.

Taking to her Instagram, Gabby Douglas wrote a heartwarming message for Shilese Jones, reassuring her of her talent and expressing how proud she is of the 21-year-old.

"I’m completely heartbroken. @shicanfly no one deserved it more. i know you will come back stronger and greater. i am so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. sending you healing, warmth, and love. i love you so so much. forever and always," her caption read.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist paired the caption with an adorable picture of her hugging Shilese Jones.

Jones was warming up on the vault on Friday when she cradled her knee following a short landing. She received medical attention but her second vault attempt failed as well. Despite feeling the gripping pain, she competed in her best event, the uneven bars, finishing with a score of 14.675, the highest of the night.

The following day, USA Gymnastics evaluated Jones' scores and pulled her out of the Trials.

Gabby Douglas previously reacted to Shilese Jones' excitement about competing with the Olympian

Shilese Jones returned to the gymnastic mat at the 2024 Hydration Core Classic after her all-around bronze-winning performance at the 2023 World Championships. One of her reasons for being excited about the competition was Douglas.

In an interview, she shared how star-studded the US Classic would be, featuring the 2012 all-around Olympic champion, Gabby Douglas.

"It's the first competition with all the athletes coming back and I'm super excited to be competing with Gabby, especially, and just having fun, just getting my feet wet and boosting my confidence going into the next competition," she said (via Inside Gymnastics)

Douglas posted a story in response, with a fusion of emotional emojis and wrote:

"Ilysm"

The 28-year-old struggled on the uneven bars and fell twice in the event, striking herself out from the rest of the competition.

At the same event, Jones finished second behind Simone Biles in the all-around with a total score of 57.65.