Recommended Free Tools
The dispute began when MyKayla Skinner criticized the depth and work ethic of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team selected for Paris. Simone Biles responded on social media before the Games, then posted “Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions” after Team USA won gold. The caption was widely read as a rebuttal to Skinner, though Biles did not name or tag her. Skinner apologized before the Olympics and later said she faced cyberbullying.
How the dispute unfolded
Tokyo: teammates with different paths to the Olympics
Biles and Skinner were teammates at the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021. Skinner won silver on vault after Biles withdrew from that final. Under Tokyo’s rules, Skinner competed as an individual athlete rather than as one of the four official members of the U.S. team. Their shared Olympic history gave the later exchange the character of a dispute between former teammates. TIME; ABC News Australia
After the 2024 U.S. trials: Skinner criticizes the team
In a video posted after the U.S. Olympic trials and later deleted, Skinner said, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and depth isn’t what it used to be.” She also criticized the team’s work ethic, saying, “The girls just don’t have the work ethic.” Skinner connected her comments to what she described as limits on coaching under SafeSport and contrasted current practices with more aggressive coaching styles of the past. These were Skinner’s explanations and opinions, not evidence that safeguarding rules caused any particular athlete’s performance. TIME; The Guardian
July 4: Biles posts before the Paris Games
Biles wrote on Threads, “Not everyone needs a mic.” TIME reported that she did not name Skinner in the post. Because it followed Skinner’s remarks, it was understood as a response, but the wording itself did not identify its target. TIME
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →#1 Best Overall
July 6: Skinner apologizes
Skinner first said her comments had been misunderstood, then issued a written apology addressed to Team USA and the gymnastics community. She wrote: “It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work.” The apology came before the Paris Olympics. TIME; ABC News Australia
July 30: Team USA wins gold; Biles posts her caption
The U.S. women won the Paris team final on July 30. Biles shared a photo with the caption, “Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.” Its wording echoed Skinner’s criticism, and coverage widely interpreted it as a pointed response. Biles did not tag Skinner or name her in the caption, so its target is an inference from the context and phrasing rather than an explicit identification. TIME; ABC News Australia; The Guardian
Rank #2
Early August: Skinner describes online abuse
ABC News Australia reported that Skinner said she had received cyberbullying, including threats of physical harm to her family, and asked Biles to help stop it. That report attributes the account to Skinner; it does not independently verify the threats. ABC News Australia
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why coaching culture entered the conversation
Skinner’s comments were not only about perceived talent and effort. She also invoked SafeSport and coaching restrictions, raising a broader question about how gymnastics training culture has changed. Biles, discussing the team after the Paris final, described a culture in which gymnasts could show their personalities and have fun while still demonstrating the work they had put in. She said athletes no longer had to be “put in a box.” That broader conversation provides context for the exchange, but it does not establish that athlete-safety rules explain the team’s results. TIME; The Guardian
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
What the 2024 coverage does—and does not—establish
- Skinner’s video criticized the Paris team’s talent, depth, and work ethic; the video was later deleted.
- Biles’s July 4 post came before the Paris team final, while the “Lack of talent, lazy” caption followed the gold-medal win on July 30.
- The later caption was widely interpreted as a response to Skinner, but it did not name her.
- Skinner apologized on July 6 and later described online abuse. The reports reviewed establish the sequence in 2024, not the athletes’ relationship status after that coverage.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
