Olympic gymnastics hopeful Kayla DiCello scratches from U.S. trials with leg injury

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Olympic gymnastics hopeful Kayla DiCello scratched from the first night of the U.S. Olympic trials on Friday after injuring her right leg on the vault.

The 20-year-old DiCello, an alternate on the 2020 Olympic team, failed to complete her vault, instead opting to flip over once and land safely on her back. She was immediately tended to by medical staff before being carried off the competition floor.

DiCello, who is from Boyds, Maryland, won the Winter Cup earlier this year and was considered a strong contender to join the five-woman team led by Simone Biles that will head to Paris next month as heavy favorites to win gold.

Injuries are testing the depth of one of the marquee programs of the U.S. Olympic movement.

Six-time world championship medalist Shilese Jones tweaked her left knee during vault warmups on Friday and scratched the event, though she did not immediately remove herself from the rest of the competition.

Skye Blakely, runner-up to Biles at the U.S. Championships earlier this month, ruptured her right Achilles tendon in training on Wednesday, ending the 19-year-old’s shot at making the team.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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