MyKayla Skinner has earned her title as an Olympian.
Skinner, who is the oldest gymnast of the American women, will not be able to compete for a medal on Thursday when the top 24 gymnasts (with the top cumulative individual scores) advance to the individual all-around final, which has a limit of two athletes per country. In addition to completing her run at the Olympics, Skinner’s elite gymnastics career also came to an end.
Speaking about the pride and love she has for her daughter, Kym Skinner tells PEOPLE that MyKayla will always be a winner in her eyes after over a decade of hard work and dedication to the sport.
“Watching MyKayla on an Olympic Stage was surreal! She had the meet of her life but fell short of qualifying for finals!” Kym says. “What an amazing career and journey. I never dreamed that she would be an Olympian. Dreams do come true.”
The proud parent adds, “MyKayla is a light to me and a person who never gave up. As she closes this chapter a new one unfolds with so many amazing opportunities. Time heals!”
After not qualifying, Skinner tweeted that she was “heart broken 💔 but feeling sooo humbled and blessed for the amazing performance,” adding the hashtag “#NeverGiveUp” in a follow-up tweet.
Also on Sunday, Biles shared a heartfelt message to Skinner, writing: “So proud of this one. No one understands the hard work and dedication it takes to come back from collegiate gymnastics & make an olympic team. You did the damn thing! Thanks for keeping gym light-hearted and fun! I love you Ms Olympian.”
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On Tuesday, Skinner shared another message to fans. “Heartbroken is an understatement, but I am proud of myself for getting here after everything I’ve been through. I would have loved for my scores to count for the team and 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,” shewrote.
To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.
source: people.com
