Those who’ve been streaming the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are sure to know that there are a variety of sports that encompass the international event. From basketball and tennis to rugby and archery, many disciplines are represented at the Paris-held games. It could be argued, though, that many have been looking forward to watching Simone Biles and the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team. Well, the young ladies didn’t disappoint, as they managed to win the gold in the team final. And, after that, Biles succinctly responded to her former teammate MyKayla Skinner, who previously criticized this year’s team.
What Did McKayla Skinner Say About The 2024 Women’s Gymnastics Team?
Now 27-year-old MyKayla Skinner competed alongside Simone Biles and others on the U.S. Women’s team during the 2020 Tokyo games (which were held in 2021 due to COVID). A while ago, Skimmer – who has retired from the sport and is currently a vlogger – commented on the 2024 team in a since-deleted YouTube video. Skimmer’s comments were captured by The New York Post and, as noted by the outlet, the Olympic silver medal winner chastised Biles’ teammates for their supposed lack of commitment:
Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.
The comments have since gone viral, and they seemingly stuck with Simone Biles as she and her teammates competed for gold medals. After they ultimately succeeded in doing just that, MyKayla Skinner responded via her Instagram stories. She specifically shared a photo of the team sporting their medals and captioned it with three heart emojis. That aside though, Biles still seemed to clap back at the ex-gymnast with a little bit of shade, and she wasn’t the only one.
How Did Simone Biles And Another Former Olympian Seemingly Respond To McKayla Skimmer?
It goes without saying that there were high expectations for this year’s women’s team, especially after Simone Biles officially punched her ticket to Paris. The gymnastics phenom was joined on the squad by Jordan Chiles (who was shouted out by Michael Jordan), Hezly Rivera, Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey. After the group won the gold, Biles took to her Instagram to share photos of their victory. Her post also included a brief – but direct – caption:
Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸
Though MyKayla Skinner was not named in the post anywhere, the messaging seems to be clear. Ms. Biles had even more to say during a press conference, during which she was asked about what this year’s team name is. Per NBC, after hesitating for a moment, she humorously declared the name to be “F around … and find out.” She later provided the true name in an X post, saying that they’re the “golden girls” due to them being the oldest Olympic team. The icing on the cake to all of this is that 2012 gold medal-winning former gymnast McKayla Maroney commented on Biles’ IG post:
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.
Gymnastics fans surely aren’t going to forget this win by the women’s team, and I’d wager that the comments from MyKayla Skinner won’t be forgotten as well. At this point, very few would surely doubt Simone Biles’ abilities. But some would probably be wise not to doubt the skills of Biles’ teammates and her confidence in them.
You can continue to watch the 2024 Summer Olympic Games across the various NBC Universal-owned channels amid the 2024 TV schedule. Anyone with an active Peacock subscription can check out the competitions that way as well.