When Skye Blakely secured the women’s all-around title at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, the 21-year-old struggled to hold back her tears. But behind those emotions was a journey marked by years of setbacks and two injuries that twice derailed her dreams. An elbow injury at the 2021 Olympic Trials ended her hopes of making the Tokyo Olympic team, while a ruptured right Achilles tendon just days before the 2024 Trials ruled her out of contention for Paris. Despite the heartbreak, Blakely refused to give up on gymnastics. Now, having finally reached the top of her sport, the American gymnast is opening up about the sacrifices she has made to chase her biggest dreams.

“I’m not scared to sacrifice things to achieve my biggest dreams,” Blakely told the Associated Press. “And I feel like that creates a type of drive in me where if I really want it, I’m going to set my mind to it, and I’m going to dig deep.” For Blakely, sacrifice is not limited to the hours spent inside the gym. It also means accepting that her life as an elite gymnast is different from that of many other college students her age.

While her friends may have more opportunities to enjoy campus life, social activities and a typical college experience, her schedule often revolves around training, competitions, recovery, and academic responsibilities. She admitted that she does experience FOMO but understands that pursuing her ambitions requires difficult choices.

The physical demands are another part of that commitment. Gymnastics requires athletes to repeat demanding routines, work through difficult training sessions and maintain their skills even when their bodies are tired. Blakely acknowledged that there are days when she already knows practice will hurt before she walks into the gym. However, she has learned to accept those uncomfortable moments as part of working towards something bigger. The confidence she carried into the world all-around final did not appear overnight. It came from thousands of hours of preparation.

Her willingness to keep showing up became even more important after her injuries. The first setback came in 2021, when she tore the ulnar collateral ligament in her left elbow during vault warm-ups at the Olympic Trials. At just 16, she saw her hopes of reaching the Tokyo Olympics disappear. By 2024, Blakely appeared to be in a much stronger position. She finished second behind Simone Biles at the U.S. Championships and was considered a serious contender for the American Olympic team.

But just two days before the Olympic Trials, disaster struck again. She ruptured her right Achilles tendon during floor exercise training, ending her hopes of competing at the Paris Olympics. Having come so close to achieving her childhood dream, she was once again forced to begin a long recovery. This time, however, she approached her return with patience.

Rather than rushing back into all-around gymnastics, Blakely focused on rebuilding her body and routines. She continued competing for the University of Florida, often concentrating on individual events while gradually working towards a full return. She eventually competed in the all-around again at the 2026 U.S. Championships in August, finishing seventh. Even then, she was still rebuilding some of the difficulty in her routines.

That makes her performance in Rotterdam even more meaningful. Blakely revealed that she did not know she would compete in the all-around at the World Championships until the night before the team qualification. She was certain she would perform on vault, uneven bars and balance beam, but the coaching staff had not yet confirmed whether she would also compete on floor. Once the decision was made, she found herself with an opportunity to compete for one of the biggest titles in gymnastics.

“Throughout the meet, I was telling myself ‘Do it for the girl in 2021 and the girl in 2024 who couldn’t do everything, just fight for her,’” Blakely said after winning the title. “That’s what I kept telling myself: ‘I am capable, I am ready’ and I made every version of myself extremely proud.”

Her mental approach was just as important as her physical preparation. Blakely credited her faith and the confidence she had developed through years of difficult experiences for helping her manage the pressure in Rotterdam. “I feel like I was super mentally strong in this competition,” she said. “I’d say I was really focused on taking all power away from nerves, fears, doubts, anxiety. It’s always gonna be there, but I decided to just put all my power to belief, confidence and faith.”

That mindset was tested during the all-around final. Blakely began with a 14.200 on vault before producing a 14.400 on uneven bars. She followed those performances with a 14.200 on balance beam, putting herself in a strong position to win heading into the final rotation. Knowing that a clean beam routine would bring her closer to the title, she focused on delivering the performance she had prepared for.

After sticking her landing, she knew she had hit a good routine but still had the floor exercise ahead. “I knew I had hit a good set, so I was like, ‘You can’t cry, the meet’s not over,’” she told AP. She then stepped onto the floor for her final routine, performing to music she had selected herself, which included a sample from Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got.”

When she completed her final pose, the emotions she had been holding back finally came through. She finished with 55.733 points, securing the all-around gold ahead of Russia’s Liudmila Roschina, who scored 55.199, and China’s Ke Qinqin, who earned 55.032.

For Blakely, the tears were about much more than winning a medal. They reflected the surgeries, rehabilitation sessions, disappointments, and moments when she had questioned whether she could continue. Her success in Rotterdam extended beyond the all-around title. Blakely returned home with four medals, winning team silver and adding bronze medals on vault and uneven bars. She also made history as the first gymnast to compete in NCAA gymnastics and win the World Championships all-around title in the same calendar year.

For an athlete who had spent much of the previous two years fighting her way back from injury, the four-medal achievement marked another major milestone in her career. But becoming a world champion has not changed Blakely’s plans for college gymnastics.

Skye Blakely sets sights on NCAA glory

Blakely intends to remain at the University of Florida for at least the upcoming season, with another national title firmly in her sights.  The Gators finished third at the 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, behind champions Oklahoma and runners-up LSU. Now, Blakely hopes to help her team close that gap and challenge for the championship next season. She believes competing in the NCAA has made her a better teammate and competitor, and she wants to continue supporting the Gators both as a gymnast and a leader.

Beyond college gymnastics, Blakely also has the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in mind. Earning a place on the five-member U.S. team will be another demanding challenge, with several established gymnasts expected to be in contention, including Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera. Simone Biles has also left the door open to another Olympic appearance. Blakely knows there is still plenty of work ahead, but winning the world all-around title has given her fresh confidence as she looks towards the next stage of her career.

“I think it helps remind me what I’m capable of,” she said. “I think that was good for me to experience that, that ‘I can do this. You do know how to handle hard situations.’ It just kind of, again, gives me that confidence boost and also just allows me to go forward.”

For Blakely, chasing her biggest dreams has meant far more than putting in extra hours at the gym. It has meant pushing through painful training sessions, missing out on parts of a typical college experience, keeping up with university work while competing internationally, and finding the strength to return after injuries that ended her hopes of making two Olympic teams.