"I'm super excited to be competing with Gabby Douglas" - Shilese Jones feeling confident ahead of U.S. Classic 2024

Gymnast Shilese Jones will compete at the 2024 US Classic, scheduled to take place over the weekend in Hartford, Connecticut. In her first official event of the year, she's excited to battle it out with Gabby Douglas while bringing a new bar routine to the competitive mat.

Jones, 21, is one of the talented gymnasts in the US women's gymnastics roster, toe-to-toe with Simone Biles. At the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships, Jones finished in the all-around bronze position while also sweeping the uneven bars bronze. The previous year, she was the all-around champion. The Seattle native has also led the US team to the team gold at both the 2022 and 2023 Worlds.

In an interview with Inside Gymnastics, the 21-year-old shared her Hydration Core Classic goals. Inside Gymnastics will release the full interview soon but has handpicked some words exuding confidence, to give a preview.

"Just to have a clean, healthy competition and hit four for four. [I'm] showcasing an upgrade - a whole new bar routine actually, and you know, just having fun with it," Jones said.

"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 added.

A while ago, Shilese Jones partnered with Core Hydration to kick off the Olympic season. Getting into the competitive mat with her will be Gabby Douglas, who, despite missing the Winter Cup comeback, competed at the 2024 American Classics. After an eight-year hiatus, the 10th finish in the all-around stemmed from a total score of 50.650.

Shilese Jones wants to compete in Paris mainly for her father

In 2021, the 21-year-old former World champion attempted the Olympic trials but missed the final Tokyo Olympics roster by an inch. The same year, she lost her father to a long-term kidney disease after days of battling.

In a 2023 interview with E! News, Shilese Jones revealed the real reason behind her Paris Olympic stint will be to make her dad proud.

"It wouldn't just be for me and my team, but also for my dad."

She added:

"Going out there and really being on the Olympic stage of Paris would probably be the best. I've worked my whole career to get where I'm at today."