Simone Biles walked away from the Paris Olympics with three gold medals, one silver medal, and a feud with her Tokyo Olympics teammate MyKayla Skinner that she doesn’t want to be a part of. The 27-year-old gymnast shared a powerful message that will likely be her last words on the hot topic.
As a team captain, she felt it was important to stand up for her teammates after being criticized by Skinner after the Olympics Trials in late June. She said in a now-deleted YouTube video (You can see it here.), “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.” Skinner made several public apologies that didn’t exactly resonate with gymnastics fans or her former Team USA teammates.
That’s why Biles posted the caption, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️????????????” after winning the team gold in Paris. She gave her thoughts on why she felt the need to make sure a strong statement. “I just felt like it was right in that moment to stand up for them, because they’re so young and they haven’t fully stood in their power yet,” she explained to People. “It’s important because you have to teach them to use their voices. And if not, you’re a voice for the voiceless, which is okay.”
Skinner doesn’t necessarily agree with Biles because she blocked her former friend on social media and issued a video statement on Tuesday, Aug. 6. She described herself as “really heartbroken” over the caption and revealed that she received “another wave of hateful comments” from the GOAT’s fans. “To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this,” Skinner added. “Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness and a lot of people need your help now. We’ve been hurt and attacked in ways that I’m certain you never intended.”
The reported death threats are probably frightening to the young mom (and shouldn’t be happening), but Skinner also has a history of stepping into controversy. After being named as an alternate to the Rio Olympics team in 2016, one of her fans replaced the 2012 Olympics All-Around gold medalist Gabby Douglas’ face with a photo of Skinner, who then retweeted it on her social media account. She apologized for her actions, but this latest issue seems to have sealed the deal and ended Skinner’s friendship with Biles for good.
Biles isn’t apologizing for her caption either. She told People, “For somebody to stand up, I know it meant a lot for [my teammates].”
Before you go, click here to see 15 times Simone Biles defied gravity.
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