The United States has been a pioneer in presenting the world with some of the most exceptional gymnasts who have kept the ‘mat’ running for years. With names like Simone Biles leading the way, athletes such as MyKayla Skinner have also etched their names in the history books for their groundbreaking routines. Skinner has now become one of the most influential gymnastics figures out there, but her story of making it to the Olympic podium, which was almost on the horns of a dilemma, is one of a kind.
It was her compatriot and the queen of gymnastics, Simone Biles, who helped her in the most unexpected way possible to win her first Olympic medal. Years have passed since the incident, and the Arizona-based gymnast revisited the old happy memories and shared some inside secrets about the event.
The 27-year-old former artistic gymnast uncovered her story in an interview with Inside Gymnastics Magazine on Sunday. She had a tumultuous run during the Tokyo Olympics qualifications when she finished fourth on vault and could not make it to the finals due to the two gymnasts per nation rule. Skinner was heartbroken, as she thought her career was over and was ready to board the flight back home as well.
To the surprise of Skinner and the whole gymnastics community, Simone Biles decided to take her name back from the vault final, which made MyKayla participate in the latter category. “Doing this for us. It’s go time, baby!” she posted for Biles on social media later.
On D-Day, Skinner came to the vault finals firing on all cylinders, as she had nothing to lose and lit the arena on fire with her spellbinding routines. After the finals were done and dusted, the Gilbert native became an overnight sensation after securing a silver in the finals, and her lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic medalist came to life in a flash. Furthermore, her qualification for the Tokyo Olympics is also a tale that needs every fan’s attention.
How she made it to the event
The gymnast was not having the best time after missing out on the Rio Olympics and two world championship events, and she came back to elite professional endeavors after her senior year at Utah. To add more to her hardships, the Olympics were also delayed due to the pandemic, and she herself was dealing with some health conditions at the time. However, she gave it all during the qualifications and secured a spot on the USA team.
The American prodigy placed fifth in the St. Louis organized Olympic trials, which earned her a spot on the team alongside her counterpart, Jade Carey. However, her dream of making it to the podium met with an upsetting end following her performance in individual medals and rotation with the team in qualifications. But she remained calm and focused until the end, and her story of winning the medal is something that needs to go out there.
