American Olympic medalist speaks out against judges amid controversy in figure skating competition

U.S. Olympic medal gymnast MyKayla Skinner spoke retired against the judges who denied Madison Chock and Evan Bates golden successful crystal creation astatine the Winter Games this week. 

Chock and Bates finished 2nd to French rivals Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron aft a arguable people by a French justice connected the last routine.

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Mykayla Skinner of Team United States poses with the metallic medal pursuing the Women's Vault Final connected time 9 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games astatine Ariake Gymnastics Centre connected Aug. 1, 2021 successful Tokyo, Japan.  (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Skinner, a erstwhile jock whose accolades were besides determined by judges, said she is "sick" successful the aftermath of the decision.

"I’m sick of athletes not getting what they worked truthful hard for and judges cheating," Skinner told Fox News Digital.

"I person truthful overmuch respect for each jock who competed, due to the fact that I cognize firsthand however overmuch sacrifice goes into preparing for the Olympics," Skinner added. "But I bash deliberation determination were performances from Team USA that deserved higher scores. When you dedicate your beingness to perfecting each detail, you expect judging to bespeak that level of excellence.

"From my position arsenic an Olympian, I saw routines that were clean, technically strong, and emotionally powerful. It’s hard not to consciousness similar they were underscored. Our athletes showed gold-medal caliber performances, and I basal by that."

MyKayla Skinner of Team United States poses with the metallic medal pursuing the Women's Vault Final connected time 9 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games astatine Ariake Gymnastics Centre connected Aug. 01, 2021 successful Tokyo, Japan. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Skinner added that the contention is idiosyncratic for her owed to her acquisition trying to suffice for the the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"This besides hits adjacent to location for me. At the 2016 Olympic Trials successful gymnastics, I finished 4th successful the all-around, and historically 4th and 5th spot had been named to the team," she said. "That year, the enactment process didn’t travel what galore expected. I learned firsthand that sometimes things don’t ever consciousness just successful judged sports. But that’s precisely wherefore transparency and consistency substance truthful much! Athletes merit clarity and assurance that their enactment volition beryllium evaluated evenly.

"I’m incredibly arrogant of Team USA. Regardless of the medal color, they represented our state with heart."

Skinner is not alone.

Former U.S. champion gymnast Jennifer Sey besides condemned the scoring that vaulted Beaudry and Cizeron implicit Chock and Bates, suggesting judges indispensable beryllium taxable to much accountability.

"There has been corruption successful Olympic level judged sports forever. In gymnastics, boxing and fig skating. There needs to beryllium much cautious enactment of judges to vet for susceptibility to corruption, and much transparency successful however scores are derived. Beyond that, corrupt judges request to beryllium punished with hefty fines to discourage this cheating successful the future," Sey said.

Jennifer Sey founded XX-XY Athletics successful March 2024. (Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, a Winter Olympian who missed retired connected qualifying for Milan Cortina owed to arguable rules weighed successful arsenic well.

Five-time skeleton U.S. Olympian Katie Uhlaender, who mislaid the accidental to gain qualification aft Team Canada withdrew athletes astatine a qualifier to trim the magnitude of points the contention could offer, expressed her fondness for her chap Americans successful Chock and Bates.

"I’m truthful arrogant of Evan and Madison. I cognize however hard they fought for Gold successful 2022, a combat that took years beyond the podium. They represented the United States good and deserved a infinitesimal connected the podium astatine the Games arsenic the Olympic Champions they are," Uhlaender said.

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"I cognize thing astir judged sports. I cognize they deserved to beryllium connected apical of the podium successful 2022, and that they gave the satellite and the United States the champion they had. Go USA and convey you to them some for representing america truthful well."

Chock and Bates were trailing the French mates by 0.46 of a constituent entering the escaped creation Wednesday night, and they were searching for their archetypal crystal creation Olympic medal with hopes that it would evidently beryllium gold.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States vie during the crystal dancing escaped skate successful fig skating astatine the 2026 Winter Olympics, successful Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026.  (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Their matador routine, dancing to a rendition of the Rolling Stones’ "Paint It, Black," drew cheers from the crowd, and they finished with tears successful their eyes.

They finished with 224.39 aft notching a 134.67 people successful their escaped dance.

Chock and Bates are two-time squad golden winners aft Sunday’s Team USA victory, but they had to ticker 1 much regular to spot if they could seizure golden erstwhile Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron took the ice.

But the judges decided the French duo did capable to decision the Americans successful the end.

Beaudry and Cizeron scored a 135.64 successful the escaped creation for a full of 225.82.

The judging has go a globally-discussed taxable successful caller days, with immoderate arguing that the French duo should person been graded much harshly.

Chock suggested that she and Bates volition see appealing the scoring, successful an interrogation with Access Hollywood.

"I accidental we would see it. I deliberation skating is specified a subjective sport, but I bash deliberation that for fairness it is bully erstwhile the judges are reviewed for their work. Not conscionable aft this contention but each contention to conscionable marque definite there’s a just and adjacent playing tract for each athletes," Chock said.

Bates has praised their supporters who are speaking retired during the controversy.

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"It means a batch that radical are voicing their opinions connected our behalf," Bates said. "The mode that we skated and the mode that we've approached chasing these goals hopefully has resonated with radical astatine location adjacent successful our response. I think, hopefully, that excessively tin bespeak the Olympic spirit."

The International Skating Union (ISU) has since defended the scoring.

"It is mean for determination to beryllium a scope of scores fixed by antithetic judges successful immoderate sheet and a fig of mechanisms are utilized to mitigate these variations," the ISU said, adding it has "full assurance successful the scores fixed and remains wholly committed to fairness."

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