After winning gold at the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles proved to everyone she has always been a headstrong woman and defended her team after MyKayla Skinner’s controversy.
Biles shared a photo of herself with Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, and Suni Lee proudly holding the American flag, captioned with a sarcastic comment: “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions.”
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What happened between Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner?
Biles led the U.S. gymnastics team to a historic team victory, scoring 171.296 to outpace Italy and Brazil. Shortly after, the 27-year-old gymnast used Instagram to subtly criticize Skinner, who had made controversial remarks about the current team’s work ethic.
This was a clear jab at Skinner, who had previously questioned the dedication and talent of this year’s gymnasts in a now-deleted YouTube video.
In the video, Skinner criticized the 2024 team, saying, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and depth just isn’t what it used to be.” She continued, “A lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.” Several current gymnasts, including Chiles, Lee, and Carey, blocked Skinner on social media.
Part 1: The gymnastics community cannot let these comments to be swept under the rug. I will be as respectful as possible to @mykaylaskinner but instead of engaging in meaningful conversation she blocks anyone who holds her accountable for her words. pic.twitter.com/Y69pwCxnUG
— Riley (@gymguyri) July 3, 2024
Biles’s response was echoed by another former Olympian, McKayla Maroney, who commented on Biles’s post, saying, “It doesn’t get more iconic than this.. She f’d around n found out fr.” Maroney added, “Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.”
Skinner’s comments drew immediate criticism, especially considering her previous praise for the U.S. gymnastics team under the now-disgraced coach Márta Károlyi.
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She also criticized SafeSport, the organization established to protect athletes from abuse, in a now-deleted video. Skinner’s remarks about other gymnasts, including mispronouncing Hezly Rivera’s name and commenting on Suni Lee’s body type, further fueled the controversy.
Despite their past camaraderie, Biles and Skinner’s relationship has since soured. Both gymnasts won medals at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, with Skinner earning silver on vault and Biles taking bronze on the balance beam. Biles also won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In response to the backlash, Skinner reposted a Team USA photo on her Instagram Story, along with heart emojis, and apologized for her earlier comments. She clarified that it was never her intention to offend or disrespect the athletes.
“Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you,” Skinner wrote.
But seems like Simone Biles is not buying it!
oop I’ve been blocked 👀🫢😂
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) July 31, 2024
