US gymnast MyKayla Skinner has told fans she was ‘heartbroken’ after failing to qualify for event finals on Sunday.
The 24-year-old nonetheless sounded upbeat in a message posted on Twitter, adding that she still felt “humble and blessed”.
“You have all brought me to tears,” Skinner tweeted. “Thanks for being my biggest cheerleaders!”
Her teammate, Olympic champion Simone Biles, also posted on Twitter, sending a public message of support for her friend.
“You’re amazing, Ms. Olympian,” Ms Biles wrote, also tweeting a picture of the pair sharing a hug. “So incredibly proud of this girl right here.”
Heart broken💔 but feeling sooo humbled and blessed for the amazing performance I had tonight! You have all brought me to tears thanks for being my biggest cheerleaders! Love u all😘 xoxo myk
— MyKayla Skinner (Harmer) (@mykaylaskinner) July 25, 2021
Ms Skinner received a total score of 55.398 in qualifying rounds, competing on vault, uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam. This placed her 11th in the competition, reports CBS News.
so incredibly proud of this girl right here 🤍
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) July 25, 2021
thanks for always keeping gym light hearted and fun! love you! you’re amazing ms olympian 🤩 @mykaylaskinner pic.twitter.com/xSd3PAJCNn
However, only two gymnasts from each country can advance to the finals in individual competitions and for Team USA, these will be Ms Biles and Sunisa Lee.
The four-person US team, which placed second in the qualifying rounds, was comprised of Ms Biles, Ms Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum.
Ms Skinner was the team’s oldest member, which Ms Biles, who is only three months younger, made fun of last week on Twitter. “Little did you know, ‘OG’ means ‘Olympic Grandmas,” joked Ms Biles.
Ms Skinner was only competing in individual events, and so will not be part of the forthcoming team events. The international governing body for gymnastics has said these rules will change for the next Games, so in 2024, individual athletes will only be permitted for countries that do not qualify to send a team.
Tokyo was Ms Skinner’s first Olympics as a team member. She was a team alternate during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before focusing on her National Collegiate Athletic Association career at the University of Utah.
