Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner, the two teammates during the 2016 Rio and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have been embroiled in a major feud recently. It all started after Skinner questioned the work ethic and dedication of the US Olympic squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The two former teammates have been at daggers drawn after Skinner targeted the four members of Team USA at the ongoing games: Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.
MyKayla Skinner criticises Team USA
Skinner made negative comments about Team USA after its Olympic qualifiers in June earlier this year. In a July 3 video, she stated that she felt the team didn’t work as hard as previous gymnasts.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” Skinner said in the video posted on YouTube. While the video was soon deleted, it has since captured major attention on social media platform X.
She added, “I 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 further blamed SafeSport, the independent organisation working towards increasing safety and preventing athlete abuse.
Skinner apologises for negative comments
Many from the gymnastics world, including Biles, heavily criticised Skinner for her remarks. Biles seemingly addressed her on Instagram Threads and wrote, “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.”
Amid criticism, Skinner shared an apology video on her Instagram Stories and claimed her comments were “misinterpreted.”
She further explained a lot of things she said were not “always necessarily about the current team because I love and support all the girls that made it and I’m so proud of them.”
“It was more about going back into my own gym, just the work ethic is different compared to when we were doing gymnastics in the Márta era,” she said, adding that she was “not sticking up for Márta or saying what she did was good, I’m just saying it was different.”
In conclusion, she apologised to the current team and said she was “seriously so happy for them”.
In a statement to People magazine last month, she said, “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 I deeply apologise.”
Biles takes a jibe at Skinner
Soon after Team USA won the gold medal in the team all-around competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles shared photographs of herself with other teammates and wrote, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions”.
As the post went viral, the comments section was soon flooded with support.
‘Heartbroken’ Skinner blocks Biles
A day after the post by Biles, she revealed that Skinner had blocked her on Instagram.
“Pop I’ve been blocked,” she wrote while sharing a few emojis.
Nearly a week later, Skinner returned to the social media platform and posted a 4-minute-long video, making a direct request to Biles to ask her followers to avoid attacking Skinner and her family — including her infant daughter Charlotte.
“Only Simone had responded and she told me that she was proud of me,” Skinner said, adding that if Biles “truly believes” that she thinks the team is “lazy and lacking talent,” then she was “really heartbroken over it.”
She further claimed that Biles’ post “fueled another wave of hateful comments,” that led towards death threats to her and her family.
“To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this… Please ask your followers to stop,” Skinner said.