NEED TO KNOW
- MyKayla Skinner is speaking out against her former Olympic teammate Simone Biles while sharing her support for Riley Gaines, following Biles’ criticisms of Gaines for her anti-trans remarks
- Skinner, 28, said in a public statement that Biles, 28, “belittled, dismissed and ostracized” her when they competed together, although Skinner did not share specific details about the claims
- Biles and Skinner have also butted heads in the past, after Skinner, in a since-deleted video, criticized the U.S. women’s gymnastics team heading to the 2024 Paris games
Gymnast MyKayla Skinner is speaking out against her former Olympic teammate Simone Biles while sharing her support for Riley Gaines, following Biles’ criticisms of Gaines for her anti-trans remarks.
On Saturday, June 14, Skinner, 28, said in a public statement shared via One America News that 11-time Olympic medalist Biles, 28, “belittled, dismissed and ostracized” her.
Both women competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Skinner, a silver medalist, was an alternate in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Biles won her first medal.
“As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us — not diminish others. That’s why it’s deeply troubling to see Simone Biles publicly label a fellow female athlete a ‘sore loser’ — simply for expressing valid concerns about fairness in women’s sports,” Skinner said in her statement, referring to Biles’ recent critical comments about Gaines, a conservative activist and former swimmer who has criticized transgender athletes in sports.
“I commend and appreciate Riley Gaines for having the courage to speak up,” Skinner continued in part. “Throughout my own career, I endured being belittled, dismissed and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone.”
Skinner added that “the pressure to stay silent was immense” and that she “kept quiet out of respect” for her fellow teammates and the sport at large, although she did not share any specific details about her allegations against Biles.
A representative for Biles did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“It’s one thing to disagree. It’s another to use your platform to bully and demean,” Skinner concluded her statement. “We should be lifting each other up — not tearing one another down for speaking hard truths.”
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Biles first spoke out against Gaines when she commented on a post from the Minnesota State High School League of players posing with their first softball state championship plaque.
Gaines wrote, “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy,” referring to Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender pitcher for the team.
Biles quoted the X post and wrote, “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
Biles later posted a lengthy message on X on Tuesday, June 10, telling her followers she wanted to “follow up” on her last posts about Gaines and apologize.
“I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” she wrote. “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
Biles and Skinner have also butted heads in the past, after Skinner, in a since-deleted YouTube video, criticized the U.S. women’s gymnastics team heading to the 2024 Paris games, minus Biles.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” the 2020 Olympic vault silver medalist said in the video. “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
After winning the team all-around gold medal on July 30, Biles seemingly responded to Skinner’s comments on Instagram Threads, writing, “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.”
In a statement later shared with PEOPLE through a representative, Skinner apologized, saying in part, “I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastics community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympic trials.”
Gaines and Biles’ initial exchange was sparked by the ongoing efforts of the Trump administration to push back against states, including California, which are permitting transgender athletes to participate in sports that align with their gender identity.
After 16-year-old transgender athlete AB Hernandez won both the high school girls’ high jump and triple jump at a California state track meet earlier this month, the Trump administration threatened California with fines and legal action, according to CBS News.
Hernandez’s success also prompted California’s Interscholastic Federation to change its rules to allow more “biological female student-athletes” to participate in the same events that trans-athletes are also participating in, according to The Associated Press.
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