University of Utah gymnast MyKayla Skinner has elected to defer her senior year of competition in pursuit of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. Skinner will devote her time to training in hopes of earning a berth on the 2020 USA Gymnastics team.

With a final year of NCAA eligibility left, the two-time NCAA champion has the intention of returning for her senior year and competing for the Red Rocks during the 2020-21 season. Skinner, a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, also plans on returning to finish her degree in communications from the University of Utah.

In three years competing for the Utes, Skinner claimed two NCAA titles (vault, floor), eight NCAA regional titles and seven Pac-12 individual titles. Skinner is also Utah’s all-time leader in All-America awards with 26, ranks second with 28 career all-around victories, and third with 111 individual victories.

In her previous quest to earn a berth on the Olympic squad, Skinner was named an alternate for the 2016 USA gold-medal Olympic team after placing fourth in the all-around at the 2016 Olympic Trials. The 2016 Glasgow World Cup all-around champion put a pause on her elite career by entering the collegiate scene.

Skinner will continue to train at her home gym in Arizona, Desert Light Gymnastics, to sharpen her skills and prepare for elite competition. She will compete next at the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 8-11. The four-day event will be held at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.