Skye Blakely returns to the gym with a bandaged leg days after withdrawing from U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials due to Achilles injury

US gymnast Skye Blakely hit the rope climb workout after ending her Olympic bid in the wake of her right Achilles rupture. Blakely was one of the heavy favorites of the Olympic trials after she finished second behind Simone Biles.

Skye Blakely was part of the gold-winning team at the 2023 World Championships. Her Olympic year started strong with an all-around silver win at the 2024 Winter Cup. Soon after, at the US Championships, one of the Olympic tune-up events, Blakely finished second behind Simone Biles in the all-around, scoring 113.85.

Based on her consistency, she was one of the medal favorites at the US Olympic Trials. However, she ruptured her right Achilles and surfaced with the update just 24 hours before the Olympic Trials began.

"I’m devastated and heartbroken but I believe everything happens for a reason. I was so close to reaching my dream but this injury was unavoidable," Skye Blakely emotionally penned on Instagram.

Days after being carried off the Target Center mat in a wheelchair, Blakely returned to the gym stronger but with a bandaged right leg. She was seen working on her upper body strength by climbing up and down the ropes, as posted on her Instagram story.

"in the gym," her caption read.

Skye Blakely; Instagram - @skyeblakely

The injury at the 2024 Trials was reminiscent of the ligament tear in her elbow at the 2021 Olympic Trials, which struck her out of the Tokyo Olympics. She had to seek professional help for her mental health following the unfortunate turn of events.

Skye Blakely rose to fame with her all-around first finish at the 2019 Junior World Championships Trials. At the 2022 Pan American Championships, she swept three podiums, silver in the team and bronze in the all-around and floor exercise. The same year, she anchored the gymnastics team to gold at the 2022 World Championships.

Skye Blakely - "I believe I am a lot more experience"

The disappointment of not making the Tokyo Olympics team remained with Blakely, who worked with more determination to make the women's gymnastics team in Paris.

In an interview, she talked about how she believes in herself more than she did in Tokyo after gathering three years of experience competing on the global stage.

"I believe I am a lot more experience and I know what to expect a lot more and overall more confident going into this year..I’d say in 2021, it was kind of a surprise, just not sure, just going to go with the flow. But now, I feel like I’m a little more determined this year," Blakely said to Olympics,com.

Unfortunately, the mishap in the trials will keep her out of the second consecutive Olympiad. Shilese Jones tweaked her left knee and Kayla Dicello ruptured an Achilles tendon at the 2024 US Trials, thus striking all three of them out of the Games.