"You are just sorry because you got caught";"I’m glad she apologized"- Fans divided as MyKayla Skinner apologizes after comments on U.S. gymnasts

MyKayla Skinner recently issued an apology for her comments on the Paris-bound U.S. Gymnastics Team after facing heavy backlash on social media from gymnastics fans. The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist spoke about the work ethic of the selected gymnasts other than Simone Biles which led to a huge uproar right after the names of the qualified gymnasts were announced.

Fans felt that her remarks in the YouTube video, titled Olympics Trials Recap- USA Women's Gymnastics, were condescending and disgraceful.

"Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't what it used to be.I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don't work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic," she said.

This led to severe criticism from fans on social media which ultimately led her to offer a detailed apology. MyKayla Skinner took to X and posted an apology where she offered clarification for her comparisons between the Marta Era and the Current Era of gymnastics training.

"I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastic community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympic trials. It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you," read an excerpt from her apology.

MyKayla Skinner's apology left fans divided as some believed that she had to make an apology as she received heavy backlash on social media, while others were empathetic of her situation and felt that it was right of her to apologize.

"You are just sorry because you got caught. You threw all your teammates under the bus. “Abuse” is not a reason to be mean to former athletes. You are just bitter and jealous," wrote a fan.

"Realizing the impact and healing from abuse you’ve experienced your whole life in the public eye cannot be easy—I am here to show compassion and empathy for Myk. I love her and am proud of her resilience, and I’m here to support her through what comes next in her journey 🤍", a fan chimed in.

"I’m glad she apologized. We should never be normalizing abuse under the false guise of “hard work”," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more fan reactions:

"She has been a poor sport since at least 2013. She’s only apologizing now because it FINALLY caught up to her," wrote a fan.

" Girl you’re only apologizing bc you’re trying to save face like bffr😭," another fan chimed in.

"If she didn’t intend to disrespect or offend, then what was the point of saying it all to begin with. Another “not really an apology” from her. 🙄 Her behavior lacks sincerity or maturity.," tweeted a fan.

Which statement by MyKayla Skinner led to the whole controversy?

MyKayla Skinner during Gymnastics - Artistic - Olympics: Day 9

In the video titled "Olympics Trials Recap- USA Women's Gymnastics", MyKayla Skinner spoke about the current U.S. Gymnastics Team. She criticized the work ethics of all the other gymnasts who qualified for Paris, except for Simone Biles.

Furthermore, she took a subtle dig at Suni Lee, who stood second in the all-around contest at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics trials by highlighting her fall and also exclaimed about qualifying for the Olympics if she would make a comeback.

"Some of the other girls that fell twice and still ending up in second place in the all-around is just kind of crazy to me. Not saying anything to the girls that got injured, but if I could come back, I think I would be able to do it. And I think I probably could've made that Olympic team,"she said.

Moreover, MyKayla Skinner went on to compare the training methods from the era of Marta Karolyi and the current league of gymnasts.