After Simone Biles withdrew, Skinner had the chance to compete on the Olympic stage.
, Skinner qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as an individual specialist, meaning that she was not part of the four-member gymnastics team, but was selected to represent Team USA in individual events. In the qualification round in Tokyo, Skinner placed fourth, a score that would typically qualify an athlete for the finals—except, there’s a two-athlete limit for individual events, and USA gymnasts Simone Biles and Jade Carey finished first and second.
“Heartbroken is an understatement, but I am proud of myself for getting here after everything I’ve been through,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”
In her caption, Skinner also said, “The sport of gymnastics hasn’t been kind to me over the years.” This likely refers to the fact that despite winningin U.S. and World competitions over the years, and two different NCAA championships for floor and vault, she hasn’t actually had a chance to compete for an Olympic medal. Skinner was an alternate for the 2016 Olympic Team, and narrowly missed her opportunity to compete in finals in Tokyo.
One can only imagine how she must have felt when she learned on Friday night that she had a reason to stay in Tokyo and put on her USA uniform one last time.