Simone Biles wins again! And we’re not just talking about taking home another Olympic medal!
After helping lead her team to victory at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, the gymnastics pro took to her Instagram to share several photos from the incredible moment the team took home gold — AND she clapped back at her former teammate MyKayla Skinner‘s diss!
Several weeks ago, the retired athlete, who competed with Simone at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, uploaded a YouTube video slamming the current state of the sport, saying:
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. […] A lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
Dang!!
Related: Simone Biles BLASTS Viewers Dragging Her Hair During Routine At Paris Olympics!
She also slammed the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a non-profit that was created to help end the history of “sexual, physical, and emotional abuse” in the sport for both the U.S. Olympic and Paralympics, by adding:
“Like, coaches can’t get on athletes and they have to be really careful what they say. 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, I feel like, a little aggressive and a little intense.”
WTF.
After all the sexual abuse many of these athletes went through at the hands of their team’s doctor, saying anything disparaging about an org meant to change this violence is wild! Let alone to say that athletes can’t be as good without enduring “aggressive” coaching!
Simone seemed to get the last word in her aforementioned IG post, which featured pics of her teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera. Referencing this scandal in the caption, she wrote:
“lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.”
LOLz!!!
Tons of fellow athletes supported the jab in the comments, including former USA gymnastics team member McKayla Maroney, who joked:
“It doesn’t get more iconic than this. She f’d around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.”
Hah! Suni added:
“put a finger down if simone biles just ended you “
Hezly chimed in:
“I’m so freaking proud of you.”
Jordan also praised:
“And that’s on periodt!!
Nastia Liukin, a five-time Olympic medalist, also cheered:
“Micdrop. So fkn proud!!!!!!!!!”
Laurie Hernandez, who competed with Simone in the 2016 Rio Olympics, wrote:
“LMAOOOO I LOVE YALL.”
Olympian Michelle Kwan sent her support, saying:
“Four letter word for all the haters – G.O.A.T !!! Bravo.”
And Simone’s hubby Jonathan Owens also celebrated:
“F AROUND AND FIND OUT”
FYI, “F**k Around And Find Out” was the girls’ team name this year. Hah! FWIW, in early July when backlash initially hit, MyKayla argued that her comments were “misinterpreted or misunderstood,” adding:
“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 [former team coordinator] Márta [Károlyi] era. And I’m not sticking up for Márta or saying what she did was good, I’m just saying it was different.”
She followed up with another more detailed apology, sharing:
“Dear Team USA & our gymnastics community, I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastics community for my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympics trials. It was not my intention to defend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you.”
She continued:
“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 apologize.”
But clearly, the gymnastics community is still feeling some time of way about her disparaging comments! A gold medal is the best way to stick it to a hater, tho! Thoughts?! Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via MyKayla Skinner/Instagram & MEGA/WENN]