Blakely and Wong Attending National Team Camp

[Kara]

 

[RedBirdie]

But not Kayla DiCello. Interesting.

 

[KristyJ]

Where is Kayla in her injury rehab? It may just not be worth it to push right now.

 

[Rich]

How is skye doing?

 

[Mthegymqueen]

I thought I saw somewhere on Instagram that Kayla would be taking the rest of the year off, and focusing on NCAA

 

[mle]

I thought I saw somewhere on Instagram that Kayla would be taking the rest of the year off, and focusing on NCAA

I also saw somewhere that she was not doing elite this year.

 

[Rich]

I also saw somewhere that she was not doing elite this year.

4 years is long. Taking a break is probably not a bad idea

 

[Passion]

Shilese Jones is back at camp too, she’s in the last picture

 

[Kara]

So nice to see all those simple, solid colored leos.

 

[irichluck21]

Nike doing God's work.

 

[Passion]

Florida Gator Skye Blakely Targets Elite Comeback​

By Nate Salsman - 20 May 2025

In 2024 World Champion Skye Blakely was a frontrunner for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team after finishing second in the All-Around at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships behind Simone Biles. However, at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Blakely tore her Achilles during podium training forcing her to withdraw from Trials. Since then Blakely has been on the road to recovery. She began her freshman year as a Florida Gator, consistently making the bar lineup and bagging a career high of 9.95. Now Blakely has refocused on elite gymnastics, regaining her skills and hopefully returning to elite competition in 2025. For Blakely, there is no set date on her return to competition, she is focused on taking her time during her recovery process.

“I don’t want to rush,” Blakely said. “I want to take my time, All-Around would be cool, but I also know that, first and foremost, I want to feel good and I want my body to be healthy. So if that’s just bars and beam, I think that’s already a great accomplishment for myself. So right now, those are the two events that I’m really working on and getting back on, and I think floor and vault will be later, whenever I decide it’s time for my foot to be pushed in that way.”

A major part of the recovery process is regaining her high-level elite skills. Blakely was able to showcase some of these skills such as her Ricna + Pak combination and double front half dismount, during the NCAA season. Others, understandably, have required more time to regain.

“I’d say a lot of the skills that I’m working on right now are many of which have been competed before,” Blakely said. “A lot of like similar release moves and transitions and connections on bars and similar and same skills on beam. I’d say taking it slow on beam dismount and standing full on beam, but those skills I am working on, so right now, just kind of getting back to where I was, getting my body back into that routine of those connections and skills again. But it’s been fun playing around and doing skills I haven’t done in a while. So I’ve been enjoying that process.”

Back to the Top​

Blakely is making her return to National Team training camp this week. The environment is something she is excited to be back in and feels it can push her to be better.

“I’m excited to see everybody again and kind of get back into that vibe and also being in that sort of environment is encouraging and pushing, like will push me too, like seeing all the other girls doing fun and new skills, it’s just cool to be surrounded by so much talent.”

While Blakely is surrounded by talent, she is also surrounded by an immense amount of support. She spent the year at Florida where the staff helped her recover and begin to do gymnastics again. Currently, she’s training at her club gym WOGA, but does plan on attending camps with Florida assistant coach Owen Field.

“I am going to National Team camp with Owen,” Blakely said. “Definitely working with Florida, and they worked with me, to get a lot of those elite skills back that I showed in college. So that was helpful, but also still working closely with WOGA, I am currently training here. I’ve been training here at WOGA for two weeks now, and I’ll be here probably another two weeks. So just talking to them about my plan and skills I want to get back. They give me their input, and I tell them what I’ve been working on, or what my plan and goals look like. Working with Florida this year, more so training with them, but still working closely with my WOGA coaches, they have been also extremely supportive and helpful. It’s nice to have such a wide variety of support behind me.”

Another member of Blakely’s support system is her sister Sloane Blakely. The Blakely sisters were both members of the Florida Gators in the 2025 season, with the difference in age this was the first time they competed with each other, for many weeks competing in the same bar lineup.

“We never really competed together,” Blakley said. “Being there with her, knowing that, I have someone so close to me who has my back, who’s gonna support me, that was a great feeling to have, also in a new environment, and I think we’re just able to support each other, motivate each other, and it was just a good sister bonding moment to have, and I really enjoyed it.”

Resilience ​

Despite the trials and tribulations Blakely faced in 2024, she was able to learn important lessons along the way.

“It’s definitely taught me resilience and perseverance as well as knowing to push myself and not to give up, and knowing that I know how to navigate around obstacles of any sorts, injuries or things in the gym or out the gym, it’s just taught me so much, and I feel like it’s made me a stronger person,” Blakely said. “Going through two big injuries, one in 2021, and one in 2024, was not easy at all, but I really have learned so much, and has brought me to this moment and who I am today, and has strengthened my faith as well.”

Something that helped Blakely mentally in her recovery was the opportunity to go straight to college following the injury.

“Going to Florida after such a big injury, and, you know, heartbreaking moment, I think I needed a sort of change of pace,” Blakely said. “It offered such structure that I liked, and being surrounded by new people, a fun environment and something different I hadn’t experienced before. I think that it was very beneficial mentally as well. It helps me a lot, and I had a lot of fun. Even being there with my sister was something that I can enjoy a lot. And even when I stepped foot into Florida, I I told everyone, I told the coaches, I told myself that I was like, I want to compete the first meet, I want to be ready to do bars. I also wanted an opportunity to compete with my sister for that one season that we had together.

If gymnastics fans have learned one thing about Blakely throughout the years, it’s that she will accomplish the goals she sets for herself. Competing in the NCAA in 2025 despite her injury, was non negotiable for her.

“I had that moment to compete at the first meet, the home opener for the Florida Gators,” Blakely said. “It meant a lot, and I think it just allowed me to have more confidence and belief in myself, knowing all that I had went through and all that I worked through to get to that moment, to compete at the first meet, and then to compete consistently in that bar lineup, it just allowed me to have this moment, like to be proud of myself, especially again, after the summer that I had, I was just like, you were really able to do that, and you worked really hard. You have perseverance, and you worked for this moment.”

Fire Burning Strong​

The moments Blakely was able to have as a Gator in 2025 made her hungry and excited for the future.

“I’m ready to compete in the All-Around. I’m ready to go back to elite. Competing in that environment just makes me hungry. So definitely, definitely made me want more,” Blakely said.

Blakely is looking forward to having more success on the elite scene and is ready for more international experience and success.

“Definitely getting back onto the international stage, and really feeling how I did at last year’s U.S. Championships in Fort Worth,” Blakely said. “I think that’s the best I have ever felt in my career. In the years to come, in elite, I just want to be able to compete that freely again and be happy and enjoy competing like I did in that moment. So to just reach that feeling of being proud of myself and just working hard and being able to showcase difficult and clean routines and new skills are huge goals of mine moving forward until these next couple years.”

Despite the Olympics being three years away, they remain a goal for Blakely.

“Coming off of the Championships that I had, it just feels like there’s no need to give up or stop,” Blakely said. “I still have more to give, and I already showed and proved to myself, most importantly, how good and successful I was and coming together on four events. I definitely want to be able to take that chance again and work hard to get back to Olympic Trials to make an Olympic team.”

For now, Blakely is focused on ending her 2025 healthy and happy.

“A successful way to end 2025 is to be healthy, feeling good, my Achilles is back and strong, working on four events again, and just overall, being proud of how far I have come in a year after a major surgery.”

Florida Gator Skye Blakely Targets Elite Comeback

“A successful way to end 2025 is to be healthy, feeling good, my Achilles is back and strong, working on four events again, and just overall, being proud of how far I have come in a year after a major surgery.”

www.insidegymnastics.com

 

[Passion]

That was a super fast selection camp, feels like they just got there lol. I'm thrilled for Gabrielle Hardie and cracking up that just the existence of the National Team needs to be "presented" by Xfinity.

 

[Rich]

Nice to see Hezly and Tiana compete this year. I can't wait for Pan ams.

 

[RedBirdie]

Alessia Rosa is very unexpected.