'She's taking charge of her own gymnastics:' Shilese Jones plans path to peak for debut Olympic berth
"This is her journey and this is her gymnastics," says Sarah Korngold, coach of Shilese Jones, the six-time world medallist who is eyeing a spot on the ultra-competitive U.S. women's team in artistic gymnastics for Paris 2024.
Jones competes for the first time since the 2023 World Championships this weekend (18 May) at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, revealing she'll debut a layout Jaeger on uneven bars.
But while she'll show off some new skills, Jones said the plan is unchanged for her and Korngold: They want to be close to peaking at next month's U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis, and then - she hopes - Paris.
"Nobody's going to get in her way," Korngold added in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com. "So it's really cool to watch someone take charge and own their gymnastics; she's doing this 100 percent for her."
"I'm not here to peak yet," Jones, 21, told reporters earlier on Friday (17 May) ahead of podium training. "I'm going on that same training plan from here to trials and trying to work my way up.
She continued: "I have some big goals... I'm a super strong person [and] I'm in this for a reason."
U.S. Classic features one of the most competitive fields ever, with each of Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee - the three most recent Olympic all-around champions - set to compete. But it doesn't stop there: Olympic floor exercise champion Jade Carey and Olympic team silver medallist Jordan Chiles are in Hartford, as well, as are world team champions Leanne Wong, who is also the 2021 world all-around runner-up, Joscelyn Roberson and Skye Blakely - among others.
"The stage is definitely set high," Jones said. "I feel a little bit of the pressure, a little bit of the nerves... but I'm sticking to that same training plan. Each competition matters."
Shilese Jones' coach: 'Hopefully we will peak for Paris'
It's been a challenging 18 months for Jones, the Seattle native, having captured the world all-around silver medal in 2022 before sitting out nearly 10 months due to shoulder and ankle injuries.
But her 2023 return was glowing, helping the U.S. women to the team title in Antwerp before going on to claim bronze in the all-around as well as on bars.
Another seven months later and she starts what she'd like to be a four-stop summer: U.S. Classic, U.S. Championships, Olympic Trials and Paris.
"She's just super driven and focused... her eyes on the prize," Korngold said. "So like every detail matters, every turn matters. Every day matters. She's going to make sure she does whatever it takes to get it done."
Having landed on the individual podium at each of the last two World Championships, the growing spotlight - and the pressures that come along with that - are something Jones has had to face.
"We don't avoid" that, Korngold said. "She's never avoided it since she stepped into the gym. It's always been, 'This is my goal. This is what I want to do.' She's not very active on social media... she's very much like, 'Let me work and I'm going to show up and do my thing."
There is a manifesting, too, Korngold said, but for U.S. Classic she is far from that: "If we peaked now, that's almost unsustainable," the coach explained.
"She needs to be peaked not even really for Trials. Hopefully we will peak for Paris."