Shilese Jones Calls Out USA Gymnastics’ ‘Silence’ After Olympic Trials Injury
Two years ago today, Shilese Jones’ Olympic dream came to a crashing halt. Behind only Simone Biles, the six-time World Championship medalist was the closest athlete to an automatic bid for Team USA’s 2024 Olympic women’s gymnastics team – until June 28, 2024.
On June 28, 2024, Jones and her fellow competitors took to the floor at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minn., ready to secure her long-awaited Olympic goal. However, Jones’ trials competition ended soon after it began.
During the warmups, Jones landed awkwardly on a vault, immediately tearing her ACL and Meniscus. Though she went on to power through a courageous uneven bar effort – scoring the highest total of the day (14.675) – Jones withdrew from the remainder of the competition and was left off the 2024 Olympic team.
While Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, and the “Golden Girls” went on to win gold and become household names, she stayed home and underwent multiple surgeries.
After leading Team USA to gold at the 2022 and 2023 world championships and........
