What happened to Skye Blakely at the US Olympics Gymnastics Trials? All about the incident that led her to be taken off the field in a wheelchair

Skye Blakely got injured during her training at the US Olympic Gymnastics Trials on Wednesday. Blakely was forced to leave the event in a wheelchair.

The American gymnast was working on the floor exercise, the final event for the day. However, she had a short landing, and she was forced to stay on the floor as the medical staff evacuated her.

Blakely wept profusely as she was carried away. Moments later, Chellsie Memmel, former gymnast and the technical lead on the US women’s high-performance team, approached Skye's coaches and hugged them.

It was a big setback for Blakely, who was one of the strong contenders for the Paris Olympics. At the recent National Championships, the gymnast finished second to Simone Biles, who is one of the greatest gymnasts currently and in the sport's history.

The 19-year-old was also a member of the U.S. gymnastics team that won the gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships during 2022 and 2023.

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This was not the first setback for Skye Blakely

This is not the first time that the gymnast was forced to bear such pain. Only a few years ago, when she was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, Blakely suffered from an elbow injury that required surgery moments before the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Not the first time Skye has suffered a setback - Getty Images

Skye Blakely was practicing for the vault event when she suffered an injury in 2021. The impact of the injury was such that it led her to miss the Olympic Games in Tokyo. However, over the years, Blakely built up her performance to be among the best gymnasts in the United States, making her one of the athletes vying for a spot in the team that would represent the country in Paris.

When asked about the tragedy during the Olympic trials in 2021, the American revealed that she had 'shut down' after that meet (via The Daily Sentinel):

“I didn't want to talk to anybody. Honestly, I kind of shut down after that meet,” Blakely claimed.

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What lies ahead for Skye Blakely?

After the injury, the USA Gymnastics team refused to give any immediate update. If Skye Blakely's injury is serious, she will be missing out on the chance to compete in her second consecutive Olympics.

Blakely had improved her standing at the U.S. Championships earlier this month apart from playing a crucial role in Team USA’s victories at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023. If not for this injury, Skye Blakely would have had almost a certain chance of joining Simone Biles in the pursuit of Olympic glory in Paris.