Controversial Gymnast MyKayla Skinner Set to Make Olympic Debut in Tokyo

Jul. 24 2021, Published 3:18 p.m. ET

A Reddit consumer just lately listed the controversies surrounding MyKayla Skinner, a U.S. gymnast making her Olympics debut on the Tokyo games the next day to come, Sunday, July 25.

“As any individual whose been passionately following the U.S. girls’s gymnastics crew … I'm appalled through the theory of someone equivalent to MyKayla Skinner representing the United States on the Olympics,” consumer u/Dramatic_Quarter wrote, partially. “The manner she conducts herself on-line and outside of gymnastics is a humiliation to our nation.”

Nevertheless, MyKayla is slated to compete within the Olympic qualification spherical day after today, the place she has a shot at making the development finals on vault and floor exercise, consistent with USA Today.

Here are one of the most controversies that experience aligned some gymnastics fanatics against the 24-year-old…

MyKayla retweeted a series of racist emojis in 2016.

Some Twitter users have flat-out accused MyKayla of racism. “Can’t wait to look racist-ass MyKayla Skinner come house with 0 medals,” one particular person tweetedjust lately.

Another Twitter user wrote: “The gymternet forgave MyKayla for racist feedback but refuses to believe a Black American athlete has won racism. Yikes!”

Why do other folks see bigotry in MyKayla? Well, in line with Slate, the gymnast retweeted a racist string of emojis in 2016 after finishing up as an alternate on the Rio Olympics, together with a Photoshopped symbol of her face on Gabby Douglas’ body.

She later introduced an apology about her Twitter activity. “I’m so sorry if I offended any individual,” she wrote at the time. “I used to be within the flawed via retweeting that tweet! I’m so grateful to be part of the crew! Go USA.”

In a separate but comparable controversy, a minimum of one Tumblr person also alleged that the athlete dropped the n-word in a tweet from a previous Twitter account.

Critics have also known as out MyKayla’s pandemic habits.

According to Today, MyKayla reduced in size COVID-19 in December 2020 and battled the virus for 2 weeks.

But gymnastics fans alleged that the Arizona local nonetheless went out in public all through that point, like the one who criticized her on Twitter for “going out to eating places whilst having COVID-19.”

On Reddit, in the meantime, u/Dramatic_Quarter wrote, “MyKayla and her husband have shown their implausible selfishness within the COVID-19 pandemic. Going out, partying, living their life as standard, MyKayla has showcased how little she cares for the hundreds of thousands of people that now not only suffered from the bodily and financial penalties of the pandemic, but the loads of thousands of people who have died.”

She has also gotten flack for her demeanor.

For different enthusiasts, MyKayla has an attitude drawback. In 2019, for instance, she perceived to make a lunging gesture at the judges once you have a disappointing score at a meet. That identical 12 months, she posted this tweet:

“So far this season, I’ve stuck 5 double fulls with out each judges giving me a 10. Stay tuned for our meet vs UCLA on Saturday and notice if we will make it six!”

As Slate’s Rebecca Schuman pointed out, alternatively, quite a few male athletes have additionally proven their frustration beneath the highlight. “But there is something explicit to the ‘beauty sports activities’ (gymnastics, figure skating, and so forth.) that requires an inerrantly candy disposition — one that matches the pageant hair and makeup from the neck up, and now not the grueling training and grit required for the entirety neck-down.”

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