After winning yet another Olympic gold medal with Team USA women’s gymnastics on Tuesday, all-star gymnast Simone Biles seemingly called out one of her 2021 Olympic teammates on Instagram.
The comment likely stems from former Team USA gymnastics standout MyKayla Skinner criticizing the new roster of American women’s gymnasts, specifically calling out their perceived lack of talent and work ethic — outside of Biles.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t what it used to be. I mean, obviously, a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” Skinner said on a recent YouTube video, per Sporting News.
“A lot of girls don’t work as hard. It’s hard too because of SafeSport. Coaches can’t get on athletes 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…a little aggressive, a little intense.”
Skinner issued two different apologies for her remarks, saying in part that she was comparing the 2024 Olympic team to the 2021 Olympic team she competed with that was guided by the controversial techniques of gymnastics coach Marta Karolyi.
“Upon reflection, I was comparing the ‘Marta Era’ to the current era. 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 deeply apologize,” Skinner wrote on Instagram earlier this month.
Well, Biles still seemed to take Skinner’s comments personally, as she shared a photo of this year’s Olympic team celebrating its gold medals on Instagram with the caption, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.”
