Simone Biles appears to mock MyKayla Skinner 'work ethic ...

31 Jul 2024

USA superstar Simone Biles, now the most decorated American Olympic gymnast in history, got the last word.

MyKayla Skinner - Figure 1
Photo NBC New York

Hours after her team trounced more than a half-dozen other countries in their quest for golden redemption, Biles posted a photo of the Golden Girls (their team nickname, according to her), celebrating along with a searing caption.

"Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions," Biles wrote, appearing to throw shade on gymnast MyKayla Skinner, whose "work ethic" comments on Team USA prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics went viral for all the wrong reasons.

She later apologized -- twice -- and the YouTube post has since been deleted.

In it, she criticized Team USA's work ethic -- and the talent pool behind Biles.

"Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be," Skinner said. "Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don't work as hard."

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"The girls just don't have the work ethic," Skinner added. "And it's hard too because of SafeSport. Like, coaches can't get on athletes and 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."

MyKayla Skinner - Figure 2
Photo NBC New York

MyKayla Skinner is apologizing once again for her comments about the 2024 U.S. Women’s Olympic gymnastics team. Although the Olympic medalist previously apologized for her controversial remarks, she further clarified them in a lengthy statement shared on Instagram on July 6. “It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you,” she wrote. When reflecting on her comments, MyKayla said it made her think of her own experiences under previous women’s gymnastics coach Márta Károlyi and alleged abuse she faced. “Upon reflection I was comparing the ‘Marta Era’ to the current era,” she wrote. “I am coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Marta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments. I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize.” Mykayla sparked controversy in a since-deleted YouTube video for saying, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” she said in part. “The girls just don't have the work ethic, and it's hard to because of SafeSport. Like, coaches can't get on athletes, and they have to be really careful what they say."

Biles initially seemingly responded with a post on X along the lines of, "not everyone needs a mic."

Skinner was a silver vault medalist in Tokyo, stepping in for Biles. Her rep didn't immediately respond to a request from People Wednesday, but she did post some red heart emojis in an Instagram Story video on Team USA's win.

In her apology earlier this month, she said she never meant to hurt anyone's feelings.

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