MyKayla Skinner claims Simone Biles 'belittled and ostracized' her as she backs Riley Gaines amid feud

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former gymnast MyKayla Skinner has publicly spoken out against her former teammate Simone Biles while expressing support for swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines, following Biles’ criticism of Gaines over her stance on transgender athletes in women’s sports.

On Saturday, June 14, Skinner, 28, revealed in an official statement to One America News that she felt "belittled, dismissed, and ostracized behind the scenes" by Biles during her gymnastics career.

Skinner's comments follow Biles’ public apology to Gaines, which the former swimmer has since accepted.

Biles initially criticized Gaines over her remarks on a post by the Minnesota State High School League, which featured players celebrating their first state championship win in softball.

MyKayla Skinner slams Simone Biles using her platform to 'bully' Riley Gaines 

"As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us — not diminish others," MyKayla Skinner stated, referencing Simone Biles’ recent remarks about Riley Gaines.

"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," she added. 

Skinner went on to say, "I commend and appreciate Riley Gaines for having the courage to speak up," before claiming, "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 teammates and the sport, though she did not elaborate on specific incidents involving Biles.

Both athletes were part of Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Skinner earned a silver medal and had previously served as an alternate during the 2016 Rio Games, where Biles won her first Olympic medals.

In her statement, Skinner continued, "It’s one thing to disagree. It’s another to use your platform to bully and demean. No one should be punished for standing up for fairness and biological reality. We should be lifting each other up – not tearing one another down for speaking hard truths."

Skinner joins a growing list of public figures standing with Gaines following what many saw as an unprovoked social media attack by Biles.

Among those backing the conservative activist are notable sports commentator Stephen A Smith and former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, among others, who have chosen to support Gaines as they see her as the target, not the aggressor.

Simone Biles called Riley Gaines a 'sore loser' over a post about transgender athletes

Simone Biles and Riley Gaines' explosive feud began when the gymnast slammed the former swimmer over her mocking remark about an X (formerly Twitter) post from the Minnesota State High School League, which showed players celebrating their first softball state championship win. 

In response to the image, Gaines posted, “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy,” referencing Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender pitcher on the team.

Biles then reposted to Gaines, writing, "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!!!!!" the Olympic gold medalist added. 

Days later, Biles followed up with a more measured post, offering an apology and clarifying her views.

She wrote, "I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. 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 also stressed that she "was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports," but that her objection lies in "singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful."

"Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over," she stressed, before adding, "I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful."

The back-and-forth between Gaines and Biles stems from broader political debate. More recently, the Donald Trump administration has pushed back on states like California, which allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity.