Olympic silver medalist MyKayla Skinner Harmer is speaking out, backing activist and former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines’ opposition to biological men competing in women’s sports.
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Harmer’s position was made clear after she made headlines in recent weeks for claiming former teammate Simone Biles “belittled, dismissed, and ostracized” her.
Though Harmer and Biles reportedly have a long history as friends and teammates, Harmer told CBN News events over the past few years have led to tensions. Most recently, Harmer released a statement after Biles got into a viral back-and-forth with Gaines — a scenario for which Biles sparked backlash.
It all started when Biles slammed Gaines last month on X over comments she made about a biological boy playing on a girls’ softball team. The gymnast lambasted Gaines as “sick” and then compared the former swimmer to a man, flaring an uproar; Biles later apologized.
Harmer said watching the entire scenario brought back memories of her own viral issues with Biles as well as purported claims of bullying she faced. So, she felt the need to speak out, releasing a statement through One America News.
“As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us — not diminish others,” she said. “That’s why it’s deeply troubling to see Simone Biles publicly label a fellow female athlete a ‘sore loser’ — simply for expressing valid concerns about fairness in women’s sports.”
Harmer told CBN News in an interview that she is a “big supporter of Riley Gaines” and, though it “can be scary to speak up,” she has always admired Gaines’ stance.
“Just seeing the bullying, the belittling, it just really hit close to home because I had experienced the same thing Riley had,” she said. “I knew what she was going through and I figured that this was the time that I could stand up and be an advocate for people that have been bullied.”
Harmer, who won her silver medal in the women’s vault when she replaced Biles in the 2020 Olympics, also said it was the right time to speak out on biological men playing in women’s sports, an issue she cares deeply about.
Issues had previously ignited between Harmer and Biles after Harmer made critical remarks about the work ethic of the 2024 U.S. Olympic female gymnastics team — something for which she later apologized.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” Harmer said in the video at the time. “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
Harmer said she later reached out to the team members and to Biles to apologize and that she and Biles exchanged pleasantries — but that she later felt like Biles again publicly raised the issue, bringing what Harmer described as chaos, threats from the public, and hatred her way.
“I just started getting attacked even more and it just like broke my heart,” she told CBN News. “Because I was like, this is a time where you are supposed to … represent your country and be excited that you guys won team, and then you’re bringing me into it. … It just made me so sad.”
The blowback and chaos were so intense, Harmer said it “crushed” her dreams and made her feel like she never even wanted to watch the Olympics again.
“I was feeling a lot of support on my end and from my friends, but my mental health was not at a good place,” she said, noting it took her time to emerge from her emotional funk. “I was starting to get dermatitis all over my face. I couldn’t function … I literally just felt like I was in a black hole.”
She eventually was able to recover and move forward, but it wasn’t easy. Now, she’s taking a stand and backing Gaines as well as others who seek to protect women’s sports. Despite some negative blowback, Harmer has also seen positivity.
“I’ve seen so much positive and so many people reaching out and saying, ‘I’m so glad that you’re supporting women in sports,'” she said. “And that literally makes me so happy.
Harmer continued, “I have a daughter now [who is] 21 months, and we do a mommy and me gymnastics class, and I want her to have the best career in athletics. Maybe she might not go that route, but, if she does, I want her to have every opportunity to succeed and for things to be fair.”
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