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‘Lack of talent, lazy’: Simone Biles shades MyKayla Skinner after winning gold, gets blocked

There is some Olympic-level drama with Team USA’s women’s gymnastics team.

Photo of Mike Hadge

Mike Hadge

Simone Biles(l), MyKayla Skinner(r)

If you missed the caption in Simone Biles’s gold-winning Instagram post, it included a dig at a former Olympic teammate who said the team had a “lack of talent, lazy.” How did we get here?

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There are a few absolutes in life—you know, just rules to always follow unless you’re a real sucka. These include such common sense as “don’t attempt to breathe underwater,” “don’t challenge a bear to a slap fight,” and, of course, “don’t doubt the 2024 Team USA women’s gymnastics team’s work ethic.” 

Sadly, MyKayla Skinner missed that last one.

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MyKayla Skinner disses USA Olympic gymnastics team

The retired 27-year-old gymnast took to YouTube in late June to express her opinions. “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, adding that she probably could have made the team if she competed. Sure, Jan. 

The comments made the rounds and eventually led to MyKayla mayking a half-hearted apology, but it was too late. Without specifically mentioning MyKayla, Simone posted on Threads on July 3rd that “not everyone needs a mic and a platform.” 

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@simonebiles/Threads
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Even Jordan Chiles’s mom saw the thing…

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Simone Biles fires back—and gets blocked

Well, after Team USA won the gold last night, Simone Biles seemingly threw some further shade MyKayla’s way, posting a photo on Instagram of the winning team with the caption simply, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.”

That is some Olympic gold-level shade, for sure. However, the saga continued today, as social media learned that MyKayla blocked Simone on socials, as evidenced by Jordan Chiles’ Instagram stories. 

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https://twitter.com/eythorasfloor/status/1818684614048649254

Real mature, MyKayla! 

https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles/status/1818684539431981149

Social media reacts

Needless to say, social media users are here for the drama. 

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https://twitter.com/heartodemi/status/1818684131921793122
https://twitter.com/AlisonMalort/status/1818689021913993358
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How can we expect the rest of the Olympics to live up to this storyline? We just can’t, that’s how.


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