'Racist' MyKayla Skinner Used N-Word in Tweet? Row Unfolds After Silver Medal Win at Olympics

US Gymnast MyKayla Skinner's recent win at the Olympics was marred by her controversial racist tweet, which resurfaced on social media. Skinner won a silver medal in the individual gymnastics final for the vault at Tokyo Olympics.

The 24-year old was roped in to compete in the vault after Simone Biles withdrew from the competition to focus on her mental health. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade picked the gold while South Korea's Yeo Seojeong settled for bronze.

Skinner Had Posted a Racist Tweet Prior to Rio Olympics

Following her silver medal at Olympics, Skinner dedicated it to Biles. "I dedicate this medal to Simone. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her," she said. "I told her I would be doing this one for her. She said, 'don't do it for me, do it for yourself', so technically it's for all of us."

However, her victory appeared to be overshadowed by her controversial tweet she made just after she was picked up as an alternate for Rio Olympics in 2016.

Despite her spectacular performance during the 2016 Olympic trials, Skinner was picked up as an alternate much to the disappointment of the gymnast and her fans who thought two-time gold medalist Gabby Douglas was apt as an alternate. Skinner retweeted some of the tweets which included a couple of racist emojis along with a picture where Skinner's head was photoshopped on Douglas's body.

Upon realizing her gaffe, Skinner tweeted; "I'm so sorry if I offended anyone. I was in the wrong by retweeting that tweet! I'm so grateful to be part of the team! Go USA #Rio."

'MyKayla Skinner Racist' Trends on Social Media

Dubbed as the 'Most Hated Gymnast' Skinner was already being discussed at length on social media much before her silver medal. Distractify reported that a Reddit user listed the controversies surrounding the gymnast prior to her debut at the Tokyo Olympics.

"As someone whose been passionately following the US women's gymnastics team for the past nine years, I am appalled by the idea of someone such as MyKayla Skinner representing the United States at the Olympics. Besides the fact that her execution will be HAMMERED by the international judges, the way she conducts herself online and outside of gymnastics is an embarrassment to our country," user u/Dramatic_Quarter wrote in its post on Reddit.

The post also spoke about Skinner using the n word in one of her old tweets. "Besides this, MyKayla has also tweeted the n-word HERSELF. Never apologizing for her own words, she only took this tweet down when her university (Utah) forced her to. On a team that will very likely include Simone, Suni, and Jordan, having someone with a racist past not only diminishes the accomplishments of the incredible three women of color, but also sends a message to young gymnasts that it doesn't matter how you behave outside of the gym, as long as you are able to score highly enough," wrote the user while adding the link to a tumbler post carrying the controversial tweet.