MyKayla Skinner steps up in Simone Biles absence with silver finish

Retirement had to wait.

MyKayla Skinner, who just a few days ago thought her gymnastics career was over, had one last event to compete in after Simone Biles bowed out due to focus on her mental health.

The 24-year-old American made the most of her last chance, winning silver in the women’s vault final in the Tokyo Games Sunday morning.

She finished with a score of 14.916, behind Brazillian Rebeca Andrade’s 15.083. Skinner is just the fifth American to medal in the event. Biles won gold in 2016 in the vault.

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Before Biles opted out of the event, Skinner had spoke about her plans post-gymnastics.

Skinner, who announced her retirement plans in July, wants to gain a degree in journalism and become a sports broadcaster.

“For me, I’m just really excited to have a life and then maybe start a family,” she told People. “We’ll just kind of see where life takes me.”

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