TAMPA, Fla. (August 19, 2022) – Shilese Jones (Auburn, Wash./Ascend Gymnastics Center) holds the lead after the first day of senior women’s competition at the 2022 OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Amalie Arena. Her 57.200 has her in the top all-around spot, edging WOGA Gymnastics’ Konnor McClain (Las Vegas, Nev.) who is second with a combined 56.400.
Olympic medalists Jordan Chiles (Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre) and Jade Carey (Phoenix, Ariz./Oregon State University) are third (56.150) and fifth (55.650) respectively, while Kayla DiCello (Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics) sits fourth with a 55.950.
Jones posted the highest score of the night on uneven bars (14.850) and floor exercise (14.100). McClain’s 14.800 landed her atop the balance beam rankings and Carey set the tone on vault with a 14.650.
The women will be back in action Sunday where winners will be crowned and gymnasts will be named to the 2022-23 Junior and Senior National Teams.
There was some serious Black Girl Magic on display at the 2022 United States Gymnastics Championships.
According to ESPN, Konnor McClain delivered a strong two-day performance to win all-around gold at the national championships. She was joined on the podium by silver medalist Shilese Jones and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles. Yes, the top three women’s gymnasts in the country are all Black. It was a very tight competition that saw first place and third place separated by only eight-tenths of a point
McClain was expected to be a part of the 2020 Olympic team, but a rough season combined with injuries led her to abruptly switch coaches—which is a decision not normally made during an Olympic cycle. Now, a year later, that change has clearly paid off.
The bad news for the rest of the world is that the champion says she’s only at 75 percent, as she’s still recovering from a recent concussion and is dealing with stress fractures in both shins. McClain thinks she’ll be completely ready for the world championships later this year in England.
“Anything can happen,’’ she said. “So I’m excited for the future.’’
