What’s going on between Simone Biles and MyKala Skinner?

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On Tuesday at the Paris Olympics, the US Women’s gymnastics team won gold and gave Simone Biles her fifth Olympic victory. The collective triumph was the result of years of hard work in a sport that is brutally competitive.
Members of the United States celebrate during an award ceremony of the women's artistic gymnastics team in the Paris Olympics at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France, on July 30, 2024. U.S. Team won the event to claim gold medal.( The Yomiuri Shimbun ) (Photo by Kaname Muto / Yomiuri / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP)

The US Womens gymnastics team won gold. Photo: AFP

So why did Biles celebrate the victory on her Instagram account with a photo of the five-woman team and this caption: “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions”?
Simone Biles Instagram post when her team won gold at the Olympics.

Simone Biles Instagram post when her team won gold at the Olympics. Photo: Simone Biles, Instagram

Who called the US gymnastics team lazy?

Biles was throwing some shade towards Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist and former teammate MyKayla Skinner. Following the US gymnastics trials in June, Skinner criticised the work ethic of those who qualified for the Olympics, including gymnast Suni Lee.

“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and depth isn’t what it used to be,” she said. “…. A lot of girls don’t work hard…”

To get to where you want to be in gymnastics you have to be “a little aggressive and a little intense,” she added.
US' Simone Biles celebrates after team USA won the artistic gymnastics women's team final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on July 30, 2024.

Simone Biles celebrates a victory at the Paris Olympics. Photo: AFP

Skinner blamed the US Center for SafeSport for preventing coaches from churning out elite gymnastics. The non-profit was set up to stop emotional, physical and sexual abuse in sports, especially when minors are involved.

Did MyKayla Skinner apologise?

The YouTube video sparked a controversy at the time. Three days later, Skinner apologised for her comments, telling the Paris qualifiers that “your hard work and dedication has paid off…”

Skinner partly blamed her own trauma from the “Marta era” for the harsh comments. Márta Károly is a US national gymnastics coach accused of beating gymnasts for errors when she coached the Hungarian team in the 1970s.

Károly was also accused of turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse of young gymnasts by former US team doctor Larry Nassar. Hundreds of young women and girls, including Biles, say they were abused by Nassar. He is now in prison.

Does MyKala Skinner have an Olympic medal?

Skinner won an Olympic silver medal in the vault at the Tokyo Olympics. Biles famously withdrew from the event at the last minute citing mental health concerns. The withdrawal gave Skinner her spot in the vault competition.
Mykayla Skinner is an Olympic silver medalist who has retired from gymnastics.

MyKala Skinner is an Olympic silver medalist who is now retired from gymnastics. Photo: mykaylaskinner2016/Instagram

Why did MyKala Skinner retire?

Skinner retired following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to finish a degree in journalism.

“I am not getting any younger and my body definitely needs a rest after this last comeback,” she wrote in an Instagram post. She had her first baby in 2023.

Has Skinner responded to Biles’ Instagram post?

Current teammates and former Olympians have thrown their support behind Biles’ clap back at Skinner in the post’s comment including Olympic Gold medalist McKayla Rose Maroney. “It doesn’t get more iconic than this…” Maroney wrote. “Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.”

Skinner now appears to have blocked Biles on Instagram, according to Jordan Chiles, another US Olympic gymnast who competed in Paris.