“It’s definitely a big goal of mine now that I get to work toward.” Skye Blakely is charging toward her LA 2028 dreams. It’s safe to say she has her hopes up this time. In Tokyo 2021, she failed to secure the Olympic berth. Paris 2024: She ruptured her Achilles before she could even sniff the Paris ticket. But this time, Blakely’s looking in great shape. That, plus her coach’s visionary guidance, is a strong combination that others will have to work hard to break.

Skye Blakely recently helped the Florida Gators move ahead to their 41st NCAA Gymnastics Championships. She started her contribution with a 9.925 on the solid bars, and that helped set the tone for the night. But in 2025, her plans are big. The possibility of coming to elite gymnastics isn’t ruled out either. And LA is constantly on her mind. But who is going to mentor her for all this? Let’s get to know more about the mentorship that she’s relying on to sail through these milestones.

Who is Skye Blakely’s coach?

Skye Blakely’s coach is Yevgeny Marchenko, a Latvian-born artistic gymnastics veteran. As a professional gymnast Marchenko himself had won 4 European titles. But when he undertook the coaching roles, he started succeeding in them right away. Under the leadership of Marchenko, gymnasts registered under WOGA have clinched approximately 36 Olympic and World medals combined since 2002. Here are some of the other highlights of his career.

Yevgeny Marchenko’s career highlights and achievements

Skye Blakely’s coach, Yevgeny Marchenko, had a solid run as a gymnast himself. He secured five world titles in mixed pairs acrobatic gymnastics during the 1980s, partnering with Nelli Miller and later Natalia Redkova. Also, Marchenko won the USSR national championship, further solidifying his status as a top-tier gymnast.

But one of the landmark moments of his career came in 1994, when Marchenko co-founded the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Texas alongside Olympic champion Valeri Liukin. Today, WOGA has become one of the largest and most successful programs in the world.

One of Marchenko’s biggest career achievements is that he has coached Carly Patterson to a gold medal in the all-around at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Yes, Skye Blakely surely looks in great coaching hands right now. Because, Marchenko has some serious skills as a coach. No wonder Marchenko was named a finalist for the USOC Coach of the Year, which reflects his significant impact on the sport in the United States.

It was the “mental coach” that brought Blakely back to gymnastics

At just 16, Skye Blakely was so close to making her maiden Olympic appearance in Tokyo. But during the US Olympic trials, she tore her ulnar collateral ligament. That injury dashed her dreams of joining the five-woman U.S. team. Facing extreme mental trauma, Blakely did not want to open up and even refused to take help from their parents. Reflecting over her traumatic phase, Blakely reminisced, “I didn’t want to talk to anybody”. Honestly, I kind of shut down after that meet.” The gymnast also pointed out that sitting out with an injury hurt her feelings.

However, after repeated attempts of help from her parents, Blakely finally agreed to have a meeting with a mental health professional. Although she was reluctant initially, Blakely’s sessions with her ‘mental coach’ helped her overcome her dark phase significantly. Over the years, her mental health improved drastically, and once again, Blakely was back in Olympic contention.

Her spectacular comeback was reflected at the US Championship, as Blakely finished second with an all-around score of 113.850, only behind Simone Biles. Thus, despite facing another Olympic tragedy, it will be a test of Skye Blakely’s character to prove to the world that she is not finished yet.