Shilese Jones would have been an Olympian three years ago if not for her incredibly tough 2020–2021. During that time, Shi faced the pandemic, survived a car accident, missed out on the Olympic roster by one spot, and lost her dad to a long-term kidney disease. These challenges almost pushed her out of the sport as she struggled with heartbreak.

Fast forward to 2024, and in just a few short years, she’s become a six-time World Gymnastics Championship medalist. It takes immense strength and fortitude to achieve what she has, and her coach, Sarah Korngold, recently shared with EssentiallySports how Shilese’s winning attitude has carried her to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Shilese Jones’ coach, Sarah Korngold, opened up about how Jones manages the pressures of her gymnastics career by focusing on the pressure she places on herself rather than on external factors. Korngold explained, “I think that when the majority of the pressure that you experience is the pressure that you put on yourself and you have that every day, you can handle that, right?” She believes that self-imposed pressure is easier to handle because it’s within Jones’ control.

In contrast, external pressures, such as the opinions of others, were more challenging to manage since they came from various sources and were beyond her control. Coach Korngold shared with EssentiallySports, “If you let what the outside world is saying get to you and push down on you, I think that’s a lot harder to be able to deal with on the daily. And it comes from everywhere, right? If the opinions you value most are the opinions of people you don’t know and you don’t deal with every day, you can’t control that and you can’t do that. ” Coach Sarah Korngold continued, “If your opinion is the most important opinion, then….Okay, you don’t like that turn do better, right?” 

Korngold emphasized that Jones values her own opinion the most, which helps her stay in control and makes the necessary changes to improve her performance. Sarah Korngold, said to EssentiallySports, “She’s in control of that and so I do kind of like that perspective of where, okay, you didn’t like that turn? What are you going to change to make it better?” Jones’ self-critical nature means she evaluates her actions and decides what needs to be improved, keeping her progress on track.

Despite being tough on herself, Jones knows how to balance this by appreciating her improvements, enjoying the good days, and allowing herself to “have a good time and crack some jokes and stuff. “ Korngold noted that although this balance wasn’t perfect all the time, Jones still managed to find a way to keep things balanced overall. As we reflect on these words, let us see how Shi Jones is using her past struggles as a catalyst to fulfill her Olympic dreams.

How Shilese Jones turned her darkest day into fuel for her Olympic dream

Distraught after her father’s passing, Shilese Jones faced a lot of uncertainty about her future in gymnastics. However, she knew how much the Olympic dream meant to both her and her dad. Shilese Jones knew her fans loved her father and that he would want the best for her. Plus, she felt she still had a lot to prove. With renewed passion and the support of her fans, she decided to continue her journey and set her sights on the Paris Olympics in 2024.

While grieving, Shilese Jones shared with PEOPLE how she came to terms with the mental aspect of gymnastics, which is just as important as the physical. Shi explained, “If your mental’s not in it that day, that’s super-hard to carry yourself and carry the weight of your shoulders and present out to the audience.“

Opening up to EssentiallySports, Coach Sarah Korngold shared that these heartbreaks fuel Shilese Jones’ passion for the Olympics. She explained, “It’s always in the back of her mind that she kind of wants to honor him and make him proud. Moreover, she keeps him in her heart every time she steps out on the competition floor and thinks about what he would say.” With just about 15 days to go until the 2024 Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials, what do you think of Shilese Jones’ coach Sarah Korngold’s words? Could she clinch her ticket to the Paris Olympics? Share your thoughts in the comments below!