When the United States women’s gymnastics team won gold in Paris, Simone Biles clapped back at a former teammate.
Tokyo Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner called out the 2024 team’s work ethic, “besides Simone,” in a since-deleted video.
Biles posted a collage of photos on Instagram showing her and her teammates carrying the American flag across the floor to celebrate their gold medal victory in the team final.
In her post on Instagram, Biles did not mince words.
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“Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions,” she wrote.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Biles defended calling out her ex-teammate, saying she needed to take the “team lead” for her teammates as a three-time Olympian.
“It’s important because you have to teach them to use their voices. And if not, you’re a voice for the voiceless, which is okay,” Biles said. “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.”
“For somebody to stand up, I know it meant a lot for [my teammates],” Biles added.
Skinner said in her newest video she thought she had made up with Biles and was “heartbroken” over what the war of words has now become. She added that she received death threats, and pleaded for Biles to tell her fanbase to cool it.
“Simone’s latest post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles and emails. Hate that includes death threats to me, my family and even my agent. My family and my friends don’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They’ve done nothing,” Skinner said.
“To Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness, and a lot of people need your help now. We’ve been attacked in ways that I’m certain you never intended. Your performance, the team’s performance and the Olympics in general should be a time that we support one another.”
Biles won two more golds in Paris and also brought home a silver medal.
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