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1 month ago
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MyKayla Skinner is making headlines for comments she made ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The former Team USA Olympic medallist received major backlash for criticising the current members of Team USA's women's gymnastics squad in a now deleted YouTube video.
In the controversial video, MyKayla said 'Besides [Simone Biles], I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be,” she commented. 'I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic'.
The former gymnast on Tuesday ate her own words as Team USA led by Biles claimed gold in the women's team final and the now five-time gold medallist was quick to shade Skinner.
With the eight-time Olympic medallist writing 'Not everyone needs a mic and a platform' on her 'X' account before posting a picture of herself and the rest of her teammates celebrating their victory alongside the caption 'lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.. us' in reference to Skinner's comments.
Mykayla Skinner and Simone Biles have been enraged in a number of exchanges following Skinner's comments about Biles' fellow USA teammates
Team USA and the world took offence to comments made by Skinner where she claimed everyone on the team besides Biles was 'lazy' and 'don't have the work ethic'
Skinner has since apologised for her comments stating they were 'misinterpreted' and has since been supporting the team in Paris
Who is MyKayla Skinner?
Skinner is an American former artistic gymnast who competed at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan.
She began gymnastic career back in 2000 and went on to compete for the University of Utah's women's gymnastics team.
During her time in Utah, she claimed two NCAA championships titles, the first in 2017, followed immediately by another in 2018.
She also set a NCAA record for the most consecutive routines without a fall, with 161 performances.
The 27-year-old retired from gymnastics in 2021 following the Tokyo Olympics in 2020
Did she compete at the Olympics?
Skinner made her way to two Olympic Games. The first as an alternate for Team USA in the women's team event at the 2016 Rio Games.
In 2020, she made more of an impact, earning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the vault event, after favourite Simone Biles dropped out of the competition after suffering from a case of the twisties.
The former friends appeared at two Olympic Games together first at Rio 2016, then again in Tokyo 2020
Skinner won a silver medal in the vault event at the 2020 Tokyo Games
What is MyKayla Skinner doing now?
After retiring from the world of gymnastics in 2021, the American decided to follow in the footsteps of many sport retirees by embracing in a new role as an influencer.
On occasion she has also joined panels for various gymnastic events, offering online gymnastic analysis.
She is also a mother to a little girl named Lottie, who she welcomed in September 2023 with her husband Jonas Harmer.
Harmer is an American Ninja Warrior alum and the pair got married back in 2019, sharing the momentous occasion on her Instagram with a series of photos with the caption 'Mr. and Mrs. Harmer' followed by a diamond ring emoji.
In 2019 Skinner married American Ninja Warrior alum Jonas Harmer
The couple welcomed a daughter Lottie together in September 2023
What did MyKayla Skinner say about the Olympic team?
Following her brutal remarks towards Team USA and spurred on by the incredible backlash she received from the public and the shade thrown by the USA gymnasts themselves, Skinner put out an apology video on her Instagram.
In the apology video, the retired gymnast said that her words were 'misinterpreted', going further to say that it 'wasn't always necessarily about the current team, because I love and support all the girls that made it and I'm so proud of them.'
'It was more about going back into my own gym, just the work ethic is different compared to when we were doing gymnastics in the Márta era,' Skinner detailed.
Before ending the video by once again expressing her apologies to the current team revealing that she was '“seriously so happy for them' and was 'so sorry if that came out wrong.'
The 2020 Olympic silver medallist apologised for her comments about Team USA in a reel posted to her Instagram account
What happened between MyKayla Skinner and Simone Biles?
For just under a decade Skinner and Biles competed alongside another.
The pair first competed against each other in 2014 when they both represented Team USA at the 2014 World Championships before heading to back-to-back Olympic Games together.
The pair used to be close during their time competing together for Team USA's gymnastics
Their once healthy relationship has now turned bitter following Skinner's comment
Their relationship has now turned sour however after the two have been engulfed in a feud following Skinner's comments.
The two have appeared to be taking shots at one another through their social media accounts, with the latest revelation in the saga being that Skinner has now blocked Biles on her social accounts.
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