Simone Biles used a photo of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team proudly hoisting the American flag after winning Olympic gold Tuesday to push back against a former teammate, MyKayla Skinner, who drew controversy several weeks ago for questioning the “talent and the depth” and work ethic of this year’s team.
Hours after Team USA won the gold medal in women’s gymnastics, stand-out star Biles posted several group photos to Instagram with the caption “Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions
The caption seemed to be a direct clapback to Skinner, 27, who said in a now-deleted YouTubevideo weeks ago she didn’t feel this year’s team was up to snuff, adding, other than Biles, “obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard, the girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
At the time, Biles posted to Threads that “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.”
Ahead of the games, Skinner posted a new video and said her comments weren’t “necessarily about the current team” and said she “loves and supports all of the girls who made it.”
Skinner also posted a photo to her Instagram story Tuesday of the U.S. women’s gymnastic team during the gold medal ceremony with three heart emojis above it.
Another former Olympic gymnast, 2012 Team USA member McKayla Maroney, also weighed in on the drama, commenting on Biles post with congratulations and saying she felt like she needed to apologize “just to redeem my first name.”
Suni Lee, a member of the U.S. team, commented “Put a finger down if Simone Biles just ended you.”
By Wednesday, Skinner appeared to have blocked Biles on Instagram.
