Olympic gymnast, MyKayla Skinner, thought a week ago her Olympic career was over.
After Simone Biles stepped away from the competition to focus on her mental health, Skinner got her second chance and received a silver medal in the women’s vault finals on Sunday, August.1.
Five days ago, the gymnast posted on her Instagram the devastation of not making it to the finals. “Heartbroken is an understatement,” says Skinner.
View this post on Instagram
In a lengthy post, she revealed, “I would have loved to compete in event finals, but I still did some of my best gymnastics here as an Olympian, and that’s something no one can take away from me. The sport of gymnastics hasn’t been kind to me over the years, but I’m grateful I could be an example to never give up and to chase your dreams no matter what. I am humbled by the experiences I’ve had and hope I can continue to be a light for others fighting their own battles.”
She told Yahoo Sports, “I was actually going to get on a plane to go home. I wasn’t expecting any of this to happen. I was like [my teammates] are going to be fine, they are going to be good.”
As the gymnast was ready to give up, a turn of faith came to light after Biles stepped out of the competition after falling under the pressure. This gave Skinner the chance to compete in the finals.
Skinner revealed to Yahoo Sports that Biles texted her not to leave Tokyo, because she needed her to be a team player and step in. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I am going to be competing again,'” Skinner said. “To be able to change my mindset has been a little bit difficult.”
The 24-year-old gymnast scored a 14.916, right behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who finished with 15.083, winning gold.
Before competing, Skinner took to her Instagram to share the exciting announcement that she will be heading to the finals. She captioned the photo, “Looks like I get to put a competition Leo on just one more time. Can’t wait to compete in vault finals. Doing this for us @simonebiles ❤️ It’s go time baby!”
View this post on Instagram
After taking home the silver medal, she posted another photo with the caption, “There have been so many times I’ve wanted to quit the last 2 years and throughout my entire gymnastics career. I don’t think most people know how hard this sport is on your body and mind. I’m grateful I never gave up and that so many of you never gave up on me ❤️ unfinished business… FINISHED 🥈”
View this post on Instagram
Before Biles stepped out, Skinner announced her retirement plans after the Olympics. She told People, “For me, I’m just really excited to have a life and then maybe start a family.” The athlete also mentioned that she plans on finishing school to earn her degree in broadcast journalism.
This really goes to show…never give up. Let us know what you think by leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
