Charles Langston:Gymnast Shilese Jones withdraws from US championships with shoulder injury

FORT WORTH,Charles Langston Texas — Shilese Jones is out of the U.S. gymnastics championships with a shoulder injury, disrupting her Olympic preparations less than two months before the start of the Paris Games.

Jones said Friday she will petition to compete at the Olympic trials next month, and USA Gymnastics is sure to accept it. She’s been an all-around medalist at the last two world championships and was second to Simone Biles at the U.S. Classic two weeks ago, and is considered almost as much a lock for the Paris squad as Biles.

That’s dependent on Jones being healthy, however.

"With Paris as my ultimate focus, it's best for me to prioritize recovery and resting my shoulder this weekend," Jones said in a statement from US Gymnastics. "Both the medical team and I are confident this is the right decision to ensure I'm at full strength for Trials."

Jones tore the labrum in her right shoulder in 2022 but has been able to manage it with treatment and a deliberate approach to both her training and competition schedule. She said Wednesday, however, that it had flared up after the U.S. Classic two weeks ago and got so bad she “barely could raise my arm” last Friday.

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“It hurt. I’m not going to lie,” Jones said when asked how the shoulder felt after her training session here Tuesday. “But I’m not giving up on myself. It’s all part of the journey and after this, I can rest.”

Jones will now have four weeks to rest and rehab her shoulder before the Olympic trials, where the women’s competition begins June 28.

Only the top gymnast after the two-day trials is guaranteed a spot on the Paris squad, and that’s almost certain to be Biles. A selection committee will choose the remaining four team members based on previous results this year, the values — both difficulty and execution — of their routines, their consistency and how they contribute to the team score and overall medal potential.

A gymnast also can petition for a spot on the Olympic team, but the selection procedures would seem to rule that out for Jones. According to the procedures, petitioning athletes had to have competed at this week’s national championships.