Simone Biles 'blocked' by MyKala Skinner as Team USA gymnastics feud intensifies

Simone Biles claims she has been “blocked” on social media by her former USA gymnastics teammate over “lazy” jibe.

On Tuesday (30 July), Biles won her eighth Olympic medal, making her the most decorated US gymnast of all time.

The gold in the team all-around event came after vocal criticism from former US gymnast MyKayla Skinner, who questioned the work ethic and talent of the current squad.

In a since-deleted YouTube video, Skinner, an Olympic silver medallist, said “besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be” and claimed, “the girls just don’t have the work ethic [that gymnasts of her time once did].”

It seems the comments did not pass Biles by, as she made direct reference to them in the caption of an Instagram post showing the team celebrating their gold medal-winning achievement.

Biles wrote: “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions.”

The feud appears to have rumbled on, as Biles claimed in a post on X/Twitter that she’s now been blocked, with many inferring her post was in reference to Skinner.

“Oop I’ve been blocked,” Biles wrote.

Someone pointed out: “Imagine blocking Simone when she simply called out something YOU said.”

Another wrote: “Simone Biles is a hero.”

Skinner posted in support of the team’s success, sharing a picture of them to her Instagram stories along with a series of heart emojis.

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings