MyKayla Skinner, a seasoned figure in elite gymnastics, recently found herself drawn back into the competitive spirit after witnessing the struggles of top runners. Her comments, though, where she expressed her wish to “help” Team USA, sparked controversy instead. “Not saying anything to the girls that got injured, but if I could come back, I think I would be able to do it. And I think I probably could’ve made that Olympic team,” she said. But that wasn’t all!

Making one statement after the other, once hailed as a resilient athlete, Skinner’s opinions sparked a severe backlash from fans worldwide, prompting many to critique her performances instead!

No work ethic left, as per MyKayla Skinner

The controversy reared its head when Skinner decided to give her opinion on the current batch of athletes. “But besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” she said in a now-deleted YouTube video.

Additionally, in another resurfaced excerpt on X, she revealed she would’ve tried to compete in 2024 had she anticipated this many participants’ disqualification during the Trials.. “When do you have an Olympic trials when three girls have gotten injured and Day 1 has just started. Anyway, so, you know, my thoughts in the back of my head was like, ‘I kinda wish I had made a comeback’,” she said. Skinner’s comments were in reference to figures like Shilese Jones, Kayla DiCello and Skyle Blakely, who had to give up on their Olympic dreams, owing to injuries. While Jones was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury, DiCello and Blakely suffered Achilles injuries.  

As for Skinner’s own career trajectory, during the last Olympic trials for the 2021 Tokyo Games, she scored 56.598 on the first day of the competition, and placed fourth overall. Her highest score was vault and balance beams, with 15.133 and 14.133, which was the fifth highest of the night. At the end of the trials, MyKayla was not selected to make the team. However, she was later invited to perform in the individual round. In Tokyo, during the qualification round, she scored an 11th finish on the all-around chart and 4th in the vault. She was not eligible for the finals. However, when Simone Biles withdrew because of the Twisties, Skinner made it into the vault category and managed to win a silver medal with a score of 14.916.

Unfortunately, her recent comments have overshadowed her success. And despite the athlete coming forward to issue an apology, the damage, it seems, was already done. With the statements being seen as a disrespectful take on other athletes’ hard work and misery, notable figures have came forward to criticize her. Simone Biles, wrote on Threads: “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.” The social media community didn’t mince any words to criticize the 27-year-old former athlete either! 

Fans will not let Mykayla Skinner live down her statements

Fans have been relentless ever since the remarks. Many believe she was undermining current athletes, and questioning her loyalty and motives. One fan sharply criticized the sentiment, stating, “girl shut up both alternates have a better Cheng than you.” This year, the US National Gymnastics team will have two traveling alternates—18-year-old Joscelyn Roberson and 20-year-old Leanne Wong. Notably, both were part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 

The next fan argued that even if other gymnasts had withdrawn, Joscelyn Roberson would have surpassed Skinner on the leaderboard. “Tf is she talking about Josc woulda smoked her a**,” read the comment. Interestingly, Skinner was 20 years old when she was selected as an alternate for the Rio Olympics in 2016. 

Adding to the ongoing discussion, one fan expressed strong disapproval of the gymnast’s style from her active years, stating, “Her gymnastics was HIDEOUS. The worst most unpleasant skills/routines to ever grace our screens. And she crazy!” While that’s one way to look at it, Skinner has also seen her fair share of success. Not only is she a two-time NCAA champion, but she also won 11 medals at the USA National Championships during her senior career. Besides that, the former athlete is also a NCAA record holder for consecutive routines without a fall at 161.   

Another fan highlighted that not making it onto the team doesn’t diminish a gymnast’s worth. “They didn’t take Joscelyn who won beam! They’re not taking MyK even at her best. Being like “if I knew 3 of the best would get hurt I’d try again” is so cringey. I get she thought it. I’m sure people like Gabby had similar thoughts (depending on her injury). Keep it to yourself!” they opined. Joscelyn Roberson had a stellar showcase at the trials this year. However, despite being first place on the balance beam, she placed sixth overall with a score of 110.975, missing the last Olympic spot to 16-year-old Hezly Rivera. Now, can Skinner outperform these youngsters? While fans don’t seem to agree, maybe we’ll leave the answering part to the veteran herself!

Back in 2021, Skinner had to face another hurdle as her Tokyo Olympic journey came to an end even before it began. She had finished fifth all-around in the Trials and was selected to compete at Tokyo as an individual, alongside Jade Carey. However, during the qualifying round, she finished eleventh in the all-around and fourth on the vault, below her teammates (Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey). Later, Skinner had posted an update revealing how “heartbroken” she was. Taking that very incident into account, some criticized those who supported her bid for the team. One fan remarked, “Whoever told her she could make the team needs to be put under a jail.” It is worth noting that MyKayla did end up participating in place of Biles in the vault final, and even won silver (with an average score of 14.916, for her Cheng and Amanar vaults).

Though Skinner has shown her capabilities when needed, the recent ordeal seems to have put a dent on her works! Do you think she’ll be able to make things right? Let us know in the comments below!