Getty Image / Carmen Mandato
Gymnastics is a grueling sport that features potential injury on every routine. World Champion American artistic gymnast Kayla DiCello found that out in a terrible way during the first night of competition of the USA Gymnastics Women’s Olympic Team Trials.
DiCello, who was an alternate three years ago in Tokyo, had a real shot to make the five-person team this year with a strong performance at this week’s Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Her chances were buoyed by the unfortunate torn Achilles suffered by Skye Blakely during Wednesday’s podium training, an incident that I’m sure DiCello didn’t enjoy, despite it increasing her chances.
Heading into Friday night’s competition, with the final chance to impress the selection committee of former Olympians Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel coming on Sunday, DiCello was looking to get off to a great start. Instead, the Florida Gator suffered the most devastating moment of her gymnastics career, crashing her vault, suffering a terrible injury and forcing her out of Olympics contention .
“Kayla Dicello is unable to continue competition tonight after sustaining an injury on vault. Her condition is being evaluated by the medical team,” USA Gymnastics announced.
Before the competition even started, two-time World All-Around medalist Shilese Jones, widely considered a team lock as long as she recovered from a shoulder injury, hurt her knee in warm-ups. She scratched out of vault, competed on the uneven bars, and then scratched the rest of the meet. It’s unclear what events she will compete on Sunday.
Thoughts go out to Kayla DiCello. To work your entire life for this chance and have it cruelly taken away from you is so unfortunate. Here’s to a full recovery.
In the meantime, picking this five-member team is officially a mess. Sacramone and Memmel do not have an enviable job.