Simone Biles, after leading Team USA to a gold medal in women’s gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics, addressed critics, including former teammate MyKayla Skinner. Biles posted a celebratory photo with her team, captioned, “lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions,” perceived as a response to Skinner’s YouTube comments about the team’s talent and work ethic.
Skinner had criticized the team’s selection, stating, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.” This sparked mixed reactions online, with one fan praising Biles: “Simone has the best clap back lmaooo. Congratulations!!! The best to ever!!!![sic]”
here’s the context on MyKayla Skinner for everyone asking: pic.twitter.com/DikjFzOjjZ
— ً (@tylerduran21) July 31, 2024
As tensions rose, Skinner blocked Biles and other teammates. Biles humorously noted this with a post on X, saying, “Oops I’ve been blocked.” Skinner later apologized on X, expressing regret for her comments and attributing them to unresolved issues from her time under coach Marta Karolyi, writing, “I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize.”
Despite past tensions, both gymnasts have had notable careers. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Biles withdrew from the finals due to mental health issues, allowing Skinner to compete in the vault final, where she won silver. Biles continues to make history, now holding the record for the most Olympic medals won by any US gymnast.
— MyKayla Skinner (Harmer) (@mykaylaskinner) July 6, 2024
