The 2024 Paris Olympics are still two years off. But they are right around the corner for athletes with Olympic dreams.
Skye Blakely of Frisco is one of them.
After overcoming a serious injury last year, she just helped lift the U.S. women to a sixth straight team gymnastics world title.
“It’s mainly my goals that keep me motivated, just focusing on where I want to be,” said Blakely.
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Where she wants to be is on the Olympic stage, a dream deferred last year when she tore a ligament in her elbow at trials in 2021.
“I had a surgery last year and I feel like that motivated me and pushed me to be even better and to come back faster and stronger, so I think I totally proved that this year,” said Blakely.
Blakely, 17, first stepped onto the mat at age 3. She says her mom wanted to add an activity for her and her sister Sloane.
“It was just supposed to be like for fun,” said Blakely, who explained it was her sister who inspired her to join her first team.
“I love my sister to death and she was my first role model, you know. I always wanted to be like her and do what she was doing,” she said.
What they both did was win.
“It just took off from there you know, every year, I was just building more and more skills and you know, to be at this level was always my dream,” said Blakely, who’s now a five-time U.S. National team member.
After that Olympic-ending surgery, she helped the U.S. land a record sixth straight world team title in October.
Her WOGA family was there to welcome home the world champion at the airport.
“It still hasn't sunken in all the way. It’s just like an unbelievable experience. This is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was seven years old,” said Blakely.
Blakely trains six days a week at WOGA Frisco under Yevgeny Marchenko who coached Carly Patterson to Olympic gold in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
“I want it so bad. I work every day getting the small goals first and every step is towards that so, I really want to be there and be on that Olympic stage, and that's just my biggest dream,” said Blakely.
A dream deferred but not denied for the rising star who's ready to soar.
Blakely recently committed to the University of Florida where she'll compete alongside her sister Sloane. But, she says she’s taking a year off school after she graduates from Frisco's Wakeland High School to focus on Olympic qualifiers.
