Simone Biles appears to take aim at former teammate after winning team gold
Fresh off the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she became the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time, Simone Biles appeared to mock a former teammate who criticized the work ethic of the U.S. women's gymnastics team.
Biles, who won her record-breaking 8th medal when she and Team USA secured gold for the women's gymnastics final at the Paris Games, posted a photo with her teammates on Instagram Tuesday with a caption that read: "lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions."
The comment appeared to be aimed at MyKayla Skinner, who won silver in the vault at the Tokyo Olympics. In July, ahead of the Paris Olympics, she said in a now-deleted YouTube video that "besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be," seeming to describe the women's gymnastics team, according to Entertainment Tonight.
"I just notice, like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don't work as hard," she said. "The girls just don't have the work ethic."
Skinner apologized for her remarks in an Instagram post on July 6, saying it wasn't her intention to "offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work."
The team, however, did not appear to forget.
After a gold medal-winning performance on Tuesday, 27-year-old Biles jokingly embraced a team slogan during a news conference: "F**k around and find out." Biles also received a flurry of comments backing her social post, including one from gymnast McKayla Maroney, the Olympic medalist and member of the "Fierce Five."
Current teammate Suni Lee also commented on the post, saying, "Put a finger down if Simone Biles just ended you" – another dig appearing to target Skinner.
On Wednesday, the saga intensified: Biles on X wrote, "oop I've been blocked," seemingly referring to Skinner having blocked one of her social media accounts.
With individual events set to start later this week, Biles could make some more history at the Paris Games. She's currently tied for the most Olympic gold medals by an American gymnast.