"Adding a little more difficulty until it’s the Olympic year": Skye Blakely reveals plan after injury setback that ended her Paris Games' quest

Skye Blakely shared her plans of taking it one step at a time as she gears up for the Los Angeles Olympics in three years. Blakely was in the running for making the Paris Olympic team when her Achilles tendon injury ended her dream.

Blakely was part of two gold-winning World Championships teams in 2022 and 2023. Having begun her senior career in 2021, the 20-year-old vied for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics, but her injury during vault warmups sidelined her. She met with the same fate at the 2024 US Olympic Trials as well.

Despite the setback, she is laser-focused on her Los Angeles Olympic dream in 2028. As she recovers from her injuries and gets back in shape, the University of Florida student-athlete shared that she doesn't want to rush but wants to be better and increase the difficulty of her routines one day at a time.

“[The Olympics] are something that I know is there, but it’s not something I think about every single day. It’s definitely my biggest long-term goal, but I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, especially getting back healthy. It’s just kind of slowly easing back into elite skills, elite readiness, and focusing on those small goals from year to year,” she continues. “Just taking each year and getting a little bit better, adding a little more difficulty until it’s the Olympic year again,” she said (via Olympics.com).

Blakely will be back in action at the 2025 US Championships, slated to take place on August 7-10 in New Orleans.

Skye Blakely shared how her recovery sped up as she spent time at home with family

Skye Blakely at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic - (Source: Getty)

Skye Blakely began her collegiate journey this year, competing in the balance beam and uneven bars and setting a record in the latter event at Southeastern Conference Championships. In May, she took a trip back home to Dallas before resuming her college season. That month at home was integral for her return to the grind, both physically and mentally, with the help of her family, dog, physiotherapist, and training sessions at WOGA.

“Going home, school’s over, I got to spend time with my parents, my family, see my dog, and also it was good to be back at WOGA, training in a familiar area. I also spent a lot of time working with my PT back home, really working on strength. I had some bumps in part of the recovery of my Achilles, nothing bad or terrible. Primarily, there was some discomfort that I had to work through, and spending that time at home really working with my PT really got me over that hard part," she said (via Olympics.com).

Skye Blakely won a silver and two bronze medals at the Pan American Championships in 2022.