MyKayla Skinner at Tokyo Olympics 2020: How well do you know the US gymnast?
At Tokyo Olympics 2020, MyKayla Skinner will finally be part of USA's women’s gymnastics team. After being side-lined as an alternate in Rio 2016, MyKayla Skinner showed her displeasure at not being selected. However, the University of Utah senior has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
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MyKayla Skinner has won three gold medals in the World Championships as part of the US team and a bronze in 2014 in the vault event. She has won a total of 11 medals in the US National Championships in her senior career, competing for the University of Utah's gymnastics team. She is also a two-time NCAA champion. We look at the top five unknown facts about MyKayla Skinner.
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MyKayla Skinner: Top five things you don’t know about the Utah senior
#1 A COVID-19 survivor
A Covid-19 survivor, MyKayla Skinner wanted to give up late last year. In an interview to The Today Show’s Hoda Kotb, MyKayla said, “I survived, but I wanted to give up so many times. I was like, 'I don't even know if I can do this anymore.' But I feel like just having these girls and my family having my back through it all has really helped me to get to where I am today.”
Down with Covid-19, she had to stop her training. Even after six weeks, she needed more time for her body to recover. It was only after Christmas that MyKayla Skinner was able to return to the gym.
#2 MyKayla Skinner struggled in a gymnastics quiz
The University of Utah posted a video of the US gymnast on their YouTube channel last September. In the video, she was asked about the history, scoring, skills and trivia of her sport. Some of the questions were: “What are the dimensions of a standard competition balance beam?” and “Who was the first American female gymnast to win the individual all-around gold medal at the Olympics?”
MyKayla Skinner could only answer 13 out of the 20 questions. Later, she tweeted while promoting the quiz, “Most people would be surprised to hear this, but I really don’t know that much about gymnastics. I just do it, I guess. Let me know your score!!”
#3 She rediscovered her love for gymnastics at Utah
After being side-lined while her team won numerous gold medals at the Rio Olympics 2016, MyKayla Skinner returned home and joined the gymnastics team at the University of Utah. In her piece for Elle, MyKayla Skinner writes:
“It was a hard transition, because I’ve always competed in elite gymnastics, where we throw big skills. In college, you don’t get any points for difficulty, but once I got the hang of it, it was a piece of cake. It was in college where I rediscovered my love for the sport after everything I went through as an elite gymnast.”
#4 MyKayla Skinner loves ‘Aqua’
In an interview to Yahoo, MyKayla Skinner said, "(I'm) always trying my best to stay hydrated, but it never seems good enough. I drink my 32-ounce water bottle for gym time and sometimes a bit more. Whenever I go out to eat, I drink water. So, yeah, (I don't drink) that much. But I’m getting better since water helps with recovery." She added that she doesn’t drink any caffeine, just like Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Her staple foods are Pizza and In-N-Out
It is odd to hear that Olympians eat pizza. But it is not that uncommon. Simone Biles eats pizza after every competition. Speaking to Yahoo’s Tess Koman, MyKayla Skinner said, “I used to eat whatever I wanted. The last couple months I’ve changed my diet. I’m now gluten-free except for the weekends.” When she is not training, she prefers pizza and ice cream, or In-N-Out. She also loves french fries.
Skinner adds that she has a smoothie for breakfast and Rubio's for lunch. She also enjoys Home Chef meals for dinner with her husband, Jonas Harmer.