Shilese Jones injury update: Gymnast 'feels pretty good' at Team USA Olympic trials amid shoulder concerns

Shilese Jones was in the running to clinch an Olympic bid in 2021 before a car accident effectively eliminated her chances of competing.

Three years later, Jones is just one strong performance away from realizing her dream and representing her country on the world's biggest stage.

Jones is one of 15 women participating in the 2024 USA Gymnastics Olympic trials and is favored to clinch one of five available spots on the team. She was expected to make the team even before Skye Blakely withdrew because of an Achilles injury, so her path is even clearer now than it was before.

Of course, Jones has some health concerns of her own. They won't hold her out of the Olympic trials, but she had to sit out the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships because of a flare-up in her shoulder.

Here's what to know about Jones' long-term injury issues with her shoulder and how it has impacted her in recent weeks.

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Shilese Jones injury update

Jones missed the U.S. Gymnastics Championships because of a right shoulder injury. She has had a small tear in her right labrum since 2022, and it flared up ahead of the event.

Jones said she "barely could raise my arm" while dealing with the flare-up, per USA TODAY's Nancy Armour . That led her to withdraw from the event and petition USA Gymnastics for the right to participate in the Olympic trials.

"It hurt. I’m not going to lie," Jones said when asked about her shoulder by USA TODAY. "But I’m not giving up on myself. It’s all part of the journey and after this, I can rest."

Jones was granted the right to participate in the 2024 USA Gymnastics Olympic trials. She "feels pretty good" ahead of the trials, her coach Sarah Korngold told USA TODAY's Thom Schad . However, Korngold noted that when Jones' shoulder flares up, it affects various parts of her performance, especially on the beam and uneven bars, the latter of which is his strongest event.

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As such, the duo is building Jones back up slowly; and they are hoping that just participating in the 2024 Olympic trials will be enough to get Jones onto the team, as she won't be competing with her hardest routines just yet.

"We don't have enough repetitions and because we were building up from a pretty significant rest, we couldn't just go zero to 100. We had to build back up (in) parts and halves and whatever," Korngold said. "Hopefully she's proven enough to the selection committee that she does build fitness quickly, she does get in routine shape fairly fast and we have more time (ahead of Paris)."

All that's to say that Jones appears to be on track to make it to Paris. She has showcased her skills as one of Team USA's top all-around gymnasts in recent seasons, and with Skye Blakely out for the Olympics following an Achilles injury, the United States will need Jones to serve as an anchor for the team.

So, as long as Jones stays healthy, expect her to be one of the five women to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics.