Shilese Jones isn’t done yet.
The two-time world all-around medalist announced Monday that she will go for the Los Angeles Games in 2028 after being injured at the Olympic trials in June. Jones also confirmed that she tore the ACL and meniscus in her right knee during vault warmups on the first night of trials.
“Four weeks ago I was ripped away from the biggest dream of my career,” Jones wrote in an Instagram post. “My journey hasn’t been a simple one, and I’m still tackling obstacles as they come. This pain is temporary, but the scars will only fuel me that much more as I continue to chase my dream.
“… Now, I’m shifting focus to the future and my next chapter ahead — which is why I’m excited to announce you will see me on the road to LA 2028.”
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Jones had established herself as almost as much of a lock for the Paris squad as Simone Biles, winning all-around medals at the last two world championships. She arrived at Olympic trials nursing a shoulder injury that had kept her out of the national championships earlier in June, but coach Sarah Korngold said then that Jones was ready to compete.
During warmups the first night of competition, however, Jones landed her vault and fell to the mat, clutching her right leg. She sat on the podium for several minutes before being helped backstage by Korngold and a medical staffer. After scratching vault, she returned to do uneven bars and her 14.675 was the highest of the night on the event.
“Despite the pain, the fighter in me still wanted to continue with competing on bars,” Jones wrote in her Instagram post.
She scratched her remaining two events that night and didn’t compete the second night.
The injury was particularly cruel for Jones. She finished 10th at the Olympic trials in 2021, and the top nine athletes either made the team or went to Tokyo as alternates. The U.S. women also only took four alternates while the men took five.
Then, in December 2021, Jones’ father died after a long battle with a kidney disease. The two had been particularly close, with Sylvester Jones often the one who would take Jones to gymnastics practice. Though Jones had originally planned to be done with elite gymnastics after Tokyo regardless of what happened, her father encouraged her before his death to rethink that decision.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shilese Jones will train for 2028 Olympics after suffering ACL tear
