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Simone Biles’ Clap Back at Team USA Critics Is Also Worthy of A Gold Medal
MyKayla Skinner previously apologized to the women's gymnastics team for criticizing their work ethic in a since-deleted YouTube video, but it doesn't seem Biles has forgotten.
Simone Biles continues to defy critics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team took home the gold in the team finals on Tuesday, July 30. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Biles shared a photo of herself with teammates Hezly Rivera, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Suni Lee, captioning the Instagram post, "Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions."
Biles' followers immediately took notice of the pointed caption, which was seemingly directed at former Team USA competitor MyKayla Skinner, and rallied around the gymnast. Lee even jumped in, commenting, "Put a finger down if simone biles just ended you."
Gold medalist Nastia Liukin chimed in, "micdrop."
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Skinner competed at the Tokyo Games in 2021, where she took home the silver medal in the vault. However, she most recently made headlines for her comments about the athletes who made this year's women's gymnastics team.
What did MyKayla Skinner say about the team?
Back when the 2024 Olympic roster was announced, Skinner posted a since-deleted YouTube video in which she praised Biles but criticized the other ladies' work ethic.
"Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be," she said in a clip of the video posted on X. "I just noticed like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don't work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic."
Skinner added that she thinks the coaches "can't get on athletes" in their practices and that the women didn't have to face the same pressures as they did in years past because Russian athletes aren't competing. "What other teams really are there?" she questioned.
In the same video, Skinner pronounced Rivera's name incorrectly, which was later called out by Rivera's sister.
Chiles and McKayla Maroney Come to Biles' Defense
Chiles has since revealed in a July 31 Instagram Story that Skinner seemingly blocked Biles on Instagram. She shared a photo of Biles' phone, which was on Skinner's Instagram blank profile — a telltale sign that someone has blocked you on the social media app.
Meanwhile, McKayla Maroney joined the conversation, writing on Biles' Instagram post, "It doesn't get more iocnic than this.. She f'd around n found out fr [for real]. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name."
The comments on the post seemingly explain the reason behind the women's team's unofficial nickname, which they said was "eff around and find out" during a press conference. They've since clarified that they'd like to be known as the Golden Girls in reference to them being older than most American gymnastic's teams.
Skinner Apologizes to the Gymnastics Team
Skinner has not responded to Biles' or Chiles' recent Instagram post, though she did celebrate the team's win on her Instagram, commenting three heart emojis on a post about the ladies taking gold.
Skinner did, however, apologize following her YouTube video. She wrote on her Instagram Stories July 3 that her statements were "misinterpreted," according to PEOPLE.
She then issued a formal apology to the magazine through a representative, saying, "It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you."
Skinner went on to say that she was comparing the women's current experience to hers, which took place under the tutelage of Márta Karolyi, a former U.S. gymnastics coach. Karolyi was known to be a tough coach and overly critical of athletes, according to Skinner.
"I am coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Marta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments. I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize," Skinner said.
She concluded her statement, "It is most important to me that the sport I love continue down the path of healing and ensures a positive environment for all. I wish you all the very best in Paris. I will be cheering you all on! Go Team USA!”
