Simone Biles appeared to respond to the controversial comments made by MyKayla Skinner following the U.S. gymnastics team’s victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On Tuesday, July 30, Biles, along with teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, secured a gold medal for Team USA. Biles, now an eight-time Olympic medalist, celebrated the achievement by sharing several photos of the team on Instagram.
“Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸,” Biles captioned the post, seemingly addressing Skinner’s earlier criticism of the team, excluding Biles, in a YouTube video that has since been deleted.
Skinner, the 2020 Olympic vault silver medalist, had previously commented on the current team after it was announced, saying, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be.” She added, “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” attributing part of this to the SafeSport program, which she claimed restricted coaches from being as demanding as in the past.
Skinner later attempted to clarify her comments on her Instagram Stories on July 3, stating that her remarks were not solely about the current team. She explained that her comments were influenced by her experiences during the Márta Károlyi era and were not meant to diminish the achievements of the current athletes. Skinner also issued an apology, saying, “Sorry for anything that got out of context or seemed hurtful. That is never my intention.”
In a formal statement shared with PEOPLE, Skinner apologized to Team USA and the gymnastics community, acknowledging that her comments were hurtful and taking full responsibility. She reflected on the emotional and verbal abuse she endured during her time under Károlyi, which she believes may have influenced her remarks. Skinner expressed her desire for the sport to continue on a path of healing and wished Team USA success in Paris.
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