Simone Biles reveals why it was 'important' to hit back at MyKayla Skinner over 'lazy' accusations
Simone Biles has addressed her public feud with former Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner, candidly discussing why she stood up for her teammates.
"It's important because you have to teach them to use their voices," Biles, 27, told People.
"And if not, you're a voice for the voiceless, which is OK."
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Biles is the unofficial leader of Team USA as their most decorated Olympian. AP
Biles takes her role as a "team lead" very seriously: "I just felt like it was right in that moment to stand up for them, because they're so young and they haven't fully stood in their power yet."
Skinner, a former US gymnast who won a silver medal in the vault at the 2020 Olympics, allegedly blocked her fellow gymnast, with Biles declaring the news on social media.
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"Oop I've been blocked 👀🫢😂," Biles shared via X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday, July 31, appearing to refer to Skinner.
Eagle-eyed fans quickly connected the dots, referencing an Instagram Story post later made by Team USA member Jordan Chiles.
Joran Chiles shared that Simone Biles had been blocked by MyKayla Skinner. @jordanchiles via Instagram
Chiles, 23, took to social media to post a screenshot of Skinner's profile from Biles's phone that was captioned: "When she blocks Simone."
When Biles views Skinner's Instagram page, it reads "no posts available," indicating she has been blocked and banned from accessing the retired athlete's page.
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The disagreement between the two Olympians has been brewing for quite some time and hit fever pitch when Team USA, made up of Biles, Chiles, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera, and Suni Lee, won the team gold medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Biles referenced Skinner's negative comments in her Instagram caption. Getty
Biles commemorated the achievement by taking to Instagram and slamming Skinner in her caption, which read: "Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸."
Many fans noticed Biles's reference to Skinner's previous negative comments about the US women's gymnastics team in a since-deleted YouTube video.
"Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't what it used to be," Skinner said.
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MyKayla Skinner said the talent and depth of gymnasts isn't what it used to be. Instagram
"I mean, obviously, a lot of girls just don't work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic. It's hard too because of SafeSport.
Despite Skinner apologising for her critiques, Team USA wasn't quick to forget and has since referenced them on various occasions.
"I know we did the recap on YouTube and I feel like a lot of you guys had misinterpreted or misunderstood exactly what I was meaning or had said," Skinner explained.
Biles wrote on Threads: "Not everyone needs a mic and a platform."
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