MyKayla Skinner is apologizing amid controversy over her comments condemning the current U.S. women’s gymnastics team heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Wednesday, July 3, the former gymnast posted a video to her Instagram Stories, claiming that a YouTube video in which she criticized the “work ethic” of Team USA gymnasts was “misconstrued.”
She captioned the post on Instagram: “Just clarifying what was said in my current video!”
In the apology video, Skinner said, “Hey guys, I just wanted to chime in real quick because I know we did a recap on YouTube, and I feel like a lot of you misinterpreted or misunderstood exactly what I was trying to say or so he said.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(972x1663:974x1665)/MyKayla-Skinner-team-USA-070424-01-2c616aa53c4b48339137a2e2db701f89.jpg)
MyKayla Skinner.
MyKayla Skinner/Instagram
She went on to claim that “a lot of the things” she talked about in the YouTube video “didn’t always necessarily apply to the current team, because I love and support all the girls that have made it and I’m very proud of them.”
The greatest summer Olympians of all time
Skinner added: “It was more about getting back into our own gym, just the work ethic is different compared to when we were doing gymnastics in [former team coordinator] Márta [Károlyi] era. And I’m not standing up for Márta or saying that what she did was good, I’m just saying that it was different.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1441x0:1443x2)/team-usa-tokyo-olympics-2020-womens-gymnastics-062624-5eab7d82b17a41e5956512a18dbd7028.jpg)
Team USA’s MyKayla Skinner, Sunisa Lee, Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum and Jade Carey pose for a picture during women’s podium practice ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Jamie Squire/Getty
The former Olympian then apologized for her comments. “Anyway, I’m sorry for anything that was taken out of context or seemed hurtful. That was never my intention,” she said. “And seriously, I was in awe of the girls throughout the video and it was so much fun watching the trials and playing live with everyone.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler has arrived! How fast can you solve it? Play now!
Skinner reiterated that she “loves” the women on the current team and is “seriously very happy for them.”
Simone Biles shared a video of the nervous moments before the gymnasts found out who would go to the Olympics
“I would never do anything to make them feel any different. I’m sorry if it came out wrong. That was never my intention,” Skinner concluded.
PEOPLE reached out to Skinner’s rep for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
June 30 Team USA named five gymnasts to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics – which begin July 26. Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are on the team with traveling alternates Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(584x239:586x241)/MyKayla-Skinner-ecd5ec7c6f5b4b25aef0b4bb02ffb474.jpg)
MyKayla Skinner and Simone Biles. Jamie Squire/Getty
In Skinner’s now-deleted YouTube video, she criticized the team, minus Biles, who has 37 world championships and Olympic medals to her name.
“Other than Simona, I feel like the talent and the depth is just not what it used to be,” the 2020 Olympic silver medalist said in a video on social media. “Just notice that, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work that hard. Girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
She went on to argue that the need for SafeSport’s abuse awareness training program is one of the reasons she feels the work ethic has changed, saying: “Coaches can’t stand up to athletes and have to be very careful what they say.”
USA Gymnastics used SafeSport — an independent organization that works to prevent and address athlete abuse — more after the 2018 Larry Nassar sexual assault case and after the break with longtime Team USA coaches Márta and Bela Károlyi. Several gymnasts stated in the Nassar case that the doctor sexually abused them while they were in the Károlyi facilities.
Since the release of the video, people from or associated with the current team have seemingly responded to Skinner’s comments. Biles posted on Instagram Threads, “not everyone needs a mic and a platform,” while Chiles’ mother Jordan wrote, “Wow. She really said it out loud and posted it. That’s something…”
After winning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the vault, Skinner did not compete. She and her husband, Jonas Harmer, welcomed their first child, daughter Charlotte, in September 2023.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education