Simone Biles appeared to target her former teammate MyKayla Skinner on Instagram after the U.S. women's gymnastics team's gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Biles posted a group selfie with the U.S. flag with teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera. The added caption reads: "Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions.”
The cryptic post was perceived as mocking Skinner's previous criticism of the team's talent and work ethic.
Biles' teammates Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles supported her post, and Chiles confirmed that Skinner had blocked Biles on Instagram.
Skinner had previously expressed her opinion about the lack of talent and work ethic in the team besides Biles. She apologized for her remarks before the Tokyo Olympics on her YouTube channel.
The critical remark met backlash. Biles unfollowed Skinner and blocked her, as did others.
She won a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after stepping in for Biles, who had to withdraw due to the twisties.
She retired after the Tokyo Olympics to finish a degree in journalism.
Biles won her eighth Olympic medal with a memorable floor routine performed in a $3,000 leotard covered in 3,423 Swarovski crystals, which received support from celebrities and former Olympic gymnasts.
Skinner, who felt snubbed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, won a silver medal in Tokyo in an event where Biles withdrew due to the "twisties." After winning the gold medal in Paris, Skinner shared a photo of the U.S. gymnastics team with a message of support.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Forbes, New York Post, Fox News, Mashable, The Irish Times, Yahoo Sports, Nine, Rappler, Dallas News, Fox Sports, On3, La-Lista, AsiaOne, Post and Courier, Mirror, RNZ, Sky News.