Simone Biles shades former Olympic teammate MyKayla Skinner in Instagram caption
Simone Biles didn't forget the haters in the immediate aftermath of Team USA winning gold in the team event for women's artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The gymnastics G.O.A.T. posted an Instagram photo celebrating the team's victory, and the caption has fueled a lot of internet fervor. Under a picture of the squad cheesing for the cameras, Biles wrote, "Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions."
This was a direct shot at Biles' former Team USA teammate MyKayla Skinner.
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Skinner criticized the squad after its selection. "Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and depth isn't what it used to be," Skinner said in a YouTube video published earlier this month that was later deleted.
She added, "I just notice, like, obviously, a lot of girls don't work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic."
Notably, however, Skinner also brought up SafeSport, an independent body created to curb abuse, and how coaches can't be as tough as they used to be. Keep in mind that Biles has championed a complete overhaul and shift in priorities for U.S. gymnastics amid horrific, long-running abuse in the sport.
"It's hard, too, because of SafeSport. Like, coaches can't get on athletes," Skinner said. "They have to be really careful what they say. Which, in some ways, is really good, but at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics, you do have to be, I feel like, a little aggressive and a little intense."
While Skinner later walked back her comments, Biles clearly did not forget what she said. Folks were pretty pleased to see Biles publicly shade Skinner.
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Even current and former teammates like Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and McKayla Maroney commented on Biles' post.
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There's something quite satisfying about Biles — the best to ever do it — being just a little petty after triumphing once again.
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And to put a perfect little bow on the whole sequence, Biles posted Wednesday on X: "oop I’ve been blocked." This drama is almost as gold medal-worthy as Biles' floor routine.
Topics Olympics
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
