Gymnastics-Biles leads U.S. Olympic trials, Jones and DiCello injured

By Rory Carroll

(Reuters) -Simone Biles saved her best for last to seize the lead at the U.S. Olympic team trials in Minneapolis on Friday on an opening night where Shilese Jones and Kayla DiCello went down with injuries.

Biles found herself in the unfamiliar position of trailing at the halfway point of the night after four-time Olympic champion produced an uncharacteristically wobbly performance on balance beam.

But she channeled that frustration into a jaw-dropping floor routine and capped the night with a soaring Yurchenko double pike vault that brought the sold-out crowd of more than 16,000 fans at Toyota Center to their feet.

Biles earned a 15.975 for her signature vault and is firmly in the lead with 58.900 all-around points. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles scored 56.400 point while Olympic all-around champion and Minnesota native Sunisa Lee in third.

"Through the entire vault I have to think about a good, slow, steady run, a good round off with my chest in, and from there I have to just think about not blasting it into outer space," Biles said.

"I had a little more energy and adrenaline than I wanted to but I still successfully landed it."

Despite ending the night on a high note, the evening got off to a brutal start as critical injuries continue to mount for the U.S. with a month to go until the Paris Games.

Kayla DiCello was carried from the mat and then left the floor in a wheelchair after landing badly on her vault in the opening moments of the competition.

Last year's Pan American Games all-around champion was a reserve at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and a strong contender for the U.S. team in Paris.

Shilese Jones, a runaway favorite to make the team, received medical attention after her vault went wrong during warmups.

Jones ended her night after the first rotation and it is was unclear whether she will return to compete in Sunday's finale.

Jones, who played a key role in helping the U.S. win team gold at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, pulled out of the U.S. Championships earlier this month with a shoulder injury in the hopes of being at full strength for the trials.

Skye Blakely, another favorite to make the team, suffered an Achilles injury during training on Wednesday that took the 19-year-old out of the competition, a bitter disappointment after she also suffered an injury at the 2021 trials that caused her to miss the Tokyo Games.

With tears streaming down her face, Blakely received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at Target Center when she came out on crutches and waved to the fans.

The injuries to Jones, Blakely and DiCello open the door for lesser known athletes like 16-year-old Hezly Rivera, Leanne Wong, and Tiana Sumanasekera to make the five-woman team for Paris, which will be named on Sunday.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Diane Craft and Himani Sarkar)