The Skye’s The Limit! Cover Story Spotlight!

Resilience 

Team USA’s Skye Blakely is the definition of perseverance. She’s been one of the biggest stars in the U.S. since making her senior debut in 2021. That summer, she finished seventh at the U.S. Championships, securing her spot to compete at the 2021 Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, Blakely was injured on vault just prior to the start of the competition, forcing her to withdraw from the event. The injury set Blakely’s sights directly on the next Olympic cycle, and the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Blakely was a mainstay for Team USA leading up to Paris, helping the U.S. to team golds at both the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. On a mission in 2024, she was on the verge of achieving her biggest dream. She arrived at the Xfinity U.S. Championships ready to make a statement. She made that statement and more, rising to the All-Around silver medal behind Simone Biles, and winning medals on vault, bars, and beam. 

“I think that’s the best I have ever felt in my career,” Blakely told Inside Gymnastics in May of 2025. “In the years to come I want to be able to compete that freely again and be happy and enjoy competing like I did in that moment.” Blakely entered the 2024 Olympic Trials ready to punch her ticket to Paris, but an Achilles tear after one short landing on floor during podium training put an end to her Paris Olympic dream, leaving her in the same exact situation she was in 2021—emotional, disappointed, but not ready to back down. Immediately, she set her eyes on an Elite gymnastics return, targeting the 2028 Olympics in LA.  

“Definitely wanting to try again, that’s where my heart is,” Blakely said about the 2028 Olympics.

Blakely began her collegiate career at the University of Florida, becoming a mainstay in the Gator bar lineup. Along the way, she took her time to recover and eased her way back to the Elite gymnastics scene. Competing on both bars and beam during the 2025 Elite season, she won gold on bars and silver on beam at the Xfinity U.S. Championships in August. It was the first time in her career she took home a gold medal from the event, tying with Hezly Rivera for the uneven bar title. 

“To even share that title on bars was an amazing feeling,” Blakely said. “I was honestly shocked, I have never gotten a gold medal at Championships yet, so to have accomplished that after such a big injury, I was extremely proud of myself.”

In October, Blakely competed in her third consecutive World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was an honor to watch Blakley return to the world stage just over a year after her Achilles rupture. She competed with confidence and finished fourth in the uneven bar final. Blakely was immensely grateful for the opportunity and told us that she had the most fun in Jakarta than in any of her other World Championship experiences.  “I felt so blessed and full of gratitude to even have the opportunity and for them to see that opportunity in me,” Blakely said. “I really enjoyed myself and was just over the moon to make the bar final.”

Blakely qualified to the final in eight place, but had the routine of her life in the final to finish fourth. She truly felt like she was flying. “I just felt the resilience that I have, and how much I’d overcome and push through, and to be able to compete, probably one of my best bar routines I have ever competed. It just felt unreal. I was just truly swinging, and so free.”

A Perfect 10.0

Not only has Blakely had to heal physically, she also had to heal mentally after the disappointment of missing the Paris Olympics. A major part of the healing process was beginning her college gymnastics career at Florida. While she was limited to competing on bars during the 2025 season, she made her much anticipated All-Around debut in 2026. She quickly became one of the NCAA’s biggest contributors and was a member of the star-studded Florida Gator team that included Kayla DiCello, Riley McCusker, Selena Harris-Miranda, and a super-stacked  roster of incredible athletes. The Gators’ bar lineup was one of the greatest lineups from any school on any event in 2026. At the SEC Championships, they earned a massive bar total of 49.800. 

“I’d say there’s a lot of confidence, we can all lean on each other,” Blakley said of the bar lineup in particular. “Someone’s going to go up there and hit their best bar routine. So just being a part of that, and bars being my favorite event, it’s exciting.”

Blakely’s confidence grew with each meet. In February, the Gators traveled to Texas Woman’s University for a quad meet. Blakely’s family lives near the school, and she had an entire fan club cheering her on, including her former club coaches from WOGA. To make the meet even more special, Blakely earned her first ever perfect 10.0 on beam. Her reaction was priceless and really showcased how much joy Blakely possessed for her sport. 

“Finishing the beam routine, and turning around and seeing a 10.0, I was honestly just shocked,” Blakely said. “I was super-excited too and I guess I’m just a really animated person, and I don’t always realize that, so that was my raw reaction. I didn’t know what to do, so I was just jumping up and down.”

Blakely admits that beam is not always her favorite event, and she credits Florida head coach, Jenny Rowland, with helping her find her confidence. Getting her first 10.0 on beam was pivotal in how she approached the event. 

“For me, to get my first 10.0 on beam was a moment for me to step back and be proud of myself, and see how far I came in that collegiate season,” Blakely said. “I would have never guessed my first 10.0 would have been on beam at all. I actually had doubts if I could be in the beam lineup consistently, which everybody’s like, ‘Skye, that’s crazy,’ but I believed it. What if I’m just not good enough, what if I’m not consistent enough. So, for me to go in on beam and compete every single competition, and then go and get my first 10 on beam, it just really goes to show that I can be confident in myself on that event.”

The entire 2026 NCAA season proved to Blakely how strong she is. Returning to competition on all four events helped her feel like Skye again, she told us. It also proved to her that she can handle any amount of adversity. “It just made me feel really proud of myself and knowing that I can overcome so much, and I can handle hard.”

The Vision Is Clear

There’s not a doubt in Blakely’s mind that her eyes are focused on giving everything she has to make it to the 2028 Olympics. Her 2026 plan is to start slow and ease herself back to Elite competition. Set to compete on bars and beam at the U.S. Classic on  July 18, she’s looking to return to the All-Around at the Xfinity U.S. Championships in August. Despite the difficult injuries she’s faced the last two Olympic cycles, her heart remains set on LA. 

Blakely understands the importance of taking care of herself mentally and has noticed a change in her mindset compared to her last two Olympic runs. Previously, she wanted to have control over every aspect of her gymnastics, she said. Now, she’s letting go, training hard, letting everything fall into place the way it is meant to be, and not giving the Olympics power over her.

While gymnastics is her focus, there is so much more to Skye Blakely than the medals she collects. 

“It’s reassuring that my identity is not just in gymnastics. Having that ability to let go and know that whatever happens, happens. I’m going to survive. I’ve shown how strong I am already,” Blakely said about her mindset towards the LA Olympic Games. “Looking at this next quad, and even the next Olympic Trials, is just understanding that I’m going to do everything in my power to get there. I’m going to work hard. I’m going to do what is necessary to make that team, but also knowing that if I don’t make it, if something happens, it’s not going to be the end of the world, and it’s not going to control everything in me.”

Catch Blakely competing on Saturday, July 18, at the U.S. Classic live on Peacock!

Photos By: Ricardo Bufolin and Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics