Simone Biles’ early-June attack on OutKick’s Riley Gaines, for which she’s since apologized, apparently isn’t out of character for the decorated Olympic gymnast. 

Late Friday, MyKayla Skinner, a silver medalist in the 2020 Games, detailed the bullying and belittling she received from Biles in an official statement to One America News (OAN). Skinner and Biles were teammates at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. When Biles was unable to compete because of a mental health issue, Skinner replaced her on the vault, placing second.

Now, Skinner’s speaking out about her former teammate:

“As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us – not diminish others. 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,” Skinner said in her statement to OAN.

USA’s Mykayla Skinner poses with her silver medal during the podium ceremony of the vault event of the artistic gymnastics women’s vault final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP) (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)

Skinner then took time in her statement to acknowledge the bravery shown by Riley Gaines – host of OutKick’s Gaines for Girls podcast – who continues to fight for fairness in women’s sports by using her platform to elevate women and call for action against biological males who are stealing records, wins, roster spots and playing time from females:

“I commend and appreciate @Riley_Gaines_for having the courage to speak up. Women like her are not only standing for fairness, but for the future of female athletics itself. She deserves support – not ridicule.”

After lauding Gaines’ continued efforts, Skinner, for the first time, publicly accused Biles of behind-the-scenes bullying which she no longer feels she needs to suppress.

“Throughout my own career, I endured being belittled, dismissed, and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone. The pressure to stay silent was immense,” Skinner stated. “I kept quiet out of respect – for the sport, for my teammates, and for the ideal of unity among athletes. But witnessing this kind of public shaming, especially from someone in a position of influence, makes that silence no longer acceptable.”

Skinner, 28, a two-time NCAA champion, then continued voicing her displeasure with not only the way Biles treated her as a teammate, but how the gymnast used her platform (Biles has nearly two million followers on X) to publicly shame those who stand up for fairness in women’s sports and seek to provide women – not biological males competing in women’s spaces – with opportunity.

“It’s one thing to disagree,” Skinner continued. “It’s another to use your platform to bully and demean. No one should be punished for standing up for fairness and biological reality. We should be lifting each other up – not tearing one another down for speaking hard truths.”

Her full statement can be found below:

Skinner is one of many who have publicly sided with Gaines after her unprovoked social media attack at the hands of Biles. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, actor Rob Schneider and plenty more have opted to side with the bullied rather than the bully.