MyKayla Skinner: 5 Things to Know About the Former Olympic Gymnast

MyKayla Skinner is making headlines for her apparent feud with former teammate Simone Biles. Here are five things to know about the gymnast.

MyKayla Skinner has made headlines over the years for her impressive skills as a gymnast. But now, three years after appearing at the Tokyo Olympics when Simone Biles withdrew from the competition, she and MyKayla are apparently at odds over remarks she made about the current gymnastics community.

A video surfaced in June 2024 of MyKayla claiming that current gymnasts lack “talent” and “work ethic” in comparison to when she trained under former Team USA coach Márta Károlyi. Shortly thereafter, Simone seemingly shaded MyKayla’s comment by joking that the 2024 Paris Olympic team lacks talent and is “lazy.” In response, MyKayla blocked Simone on Instagram.

Learn more about MyKayla below.

MyKayla made her Olympic debut in Tokyo

At the age of 24, MyKayla made her Olympic debut at the 2021 games in Tokyo.

USA Gymnastics announced the replacement on July 30.”Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars,” it read. “She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam.”

“MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth-highest score in vault during qualifications, will compete in vault finals for the U.S. alongside Jade Carey, who finished with the second-highest score,” the statement continued. So, who is MyKayla? Below are five things to know about Simone’s replacement.

The Gilbert, Arizona native began her gymnastics journey in 2000, and, according to her Team USA bio, her favorite event is floor. MyKayla’s favorite hobbies include jewelry beading and going to the movies with friends — her favorite film is Twilight, by the way — and she is also a Mexican food enthusiast.

MyKayla was an alternate at the 2016 Olympics

Tokyo might mark MyKayla’s first Olympic rodeo, but she has been to the games before. The gymnast competed in the 2016 Olympic trials and posted the fourth-best score. She was ultimately named an alternate, as Simone, Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, and Madison Kocian were selected as the gymnasts for the 2016 games in Rio.

MyKayla is already a celebrated medalist

This year’s games might mark the first time MyKayla could compete for gold, but the gymnast is already a decorated athlete, thank you very much. The gymnast was part of the team that won gold at the 2014 World Championships. Among her other accolades: four gold medals from the 2014 Pan American Championships and two gold medals from the 2014 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.

MyKayla retired from the sport

The gymnast, a communications student at University of Utah, revealed earlier this month that she plans to retire from gymnastics after the Tokyo Olympics. She announced the news on Instagram, explaining that there were other things she wanted to do professionally. “The Olympics will be my last gymnastics competition before I officially retire,” she wrote, in part. “I’m excited for what’s ahead. For now I am going to focus on bringing home a medal or two this summer for Team USA. I have a lot of hard work ahead and want to promise that the world has yet to see my best gymnastics.”

MyKayla is married

MyKayla has been happily married to Jonas Harmer since 2019. He isn’t a fellow athlete, though. On his social media channels, Jonas has stated that he runs a YouTube channel and manages the sales team for Vivint Smart Home. The gymnast regularly shares snapshots with her husband. Prior to the Olympics, she and her beau enjoyed a day on the lake. “Lake days with you are my fav,” she captioned the post, adding the hashtag #hubby.