''My late father is the reason I'm here today'' - Gymnast Shilese Jones

                ''My late father is the reason I'm here today'' - Gymnast Shilese Jones

Shilese "Shi" Jones, the uneven bar champion, is quite the fly. However, the gymnast said to E! News that her late father Sylvester Jones Jr. is the force behind her, enabling her make it to the Summer Olympics in 2024.

Gymnast Shilese Jones has a commitment all figured out should she find herself sporting a specific piece of sparkling jewelry at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris not to put the gold medal before the (vaulting) horse. 

At NBC Sports' Road to Paris Bus Tour, the 21-year-old exclusively told E! News, "It wouldn't just be for me and my team, but also for my dad." Similar to Sylvester Jones Jr., his tenacious and extraordinarily gifted daughter, who passed away in 2021 following a protracted fight with kidney ailment "was the one that was in the gym day in and day out," she said, "so it definitely would go out to him."

Shilese revealed that she didn't "start winning everything" until she attained level 8, when tweens may perform acrobatic series, 360-degree turns on a beam, and flawless a front handspring vault. "They said, 'This can be turned into a job.'" She might consider competing in the Olympics. I simply listened to that, and I haven't stopped since."