Simone Biles posts brutal message to ex-teammate before getting 'blocked' after winning gold medal at the Olympics
Simone Biles says she has found herself 'blocked' on social media after posting a savage Instagram post ripping in to the words of a former Olympics teammate.
Biles, who won yet another gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women's artistic team all-around event, posted to social media celebrating her win alongside her Team USA teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera.
But when posting to Instagram to celebrate their win, Biles took swipe at a fellow US gymnast who didn't make the cut for the 2024 Games.
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It comes after the gymnast in question - Olympic silver medallist MyKayla Skinner - questioned the talent and worth ethic of the USA Gymnastics' Olympic team.
In a now-deleted video, Skinner said 'besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be'.
"The girls just don't have the work ethic," she added.
Skinner quickly retracted the comments, posting an apology video to YouTube in which she says: "I want to formally apologise to Team USA and to our gymnastic community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympic trials.
"It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work."
But the damage was seemingly done, with Biles having her teammates backs all the way.
Posting an image of the five of them to Instagram, Biles wrote: "Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions."
Biles' husband and Chicago Bears NFL star, Jonathan Owens, commented: "F AROUND AND FIND OUT."
She had also taken to Threads, run by Instagram, to write: "Not everyone needs a mic and a platform."
Well, it seems that Skinner hasn't taken too kindly to the response from Biles and the attention it has brought to the comments, with Biles seemingly blocked by Skinner on Instagram.
Posting a photo of Biles phone on Skinners account, teammate Jordan Chiles wrote: "When she blocks Simone."
And on X (formerly Twitter), Biles added 'oops I've been blocked' with a side eye and laughing emojis.
Even X boss Elon Musk got involved in the spat, reacting with crying laughing emojis.
It's a sour turn to a positive working relationship between Skinner and her former Team USA colleagues, after Skinner won silver on the vault at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the now-deleted video criticising Team USA's gymnasts, Skinner also took aim at the US Center for SafeSport, which is a non-profit organisation set up to stop sexual and emotional abuse of athletes in USA Olympic sports.
Skinner said: "It's hard because of SafeSport. Like, coaches can't get on athletes and they have to be really careful what they say.
"Which, in some ways, is really good. But at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be, I feel like, a little aggressive and a little intense."
Team USA's current medal count - 30
Gold medalists
- Lee Kiefer: Fencing - Women's individual foil
- Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
- Jack Alexj, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Matt King: Swimming - Men's 4x100m freestyle
- Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's team competition
- Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 1500m freestyle
Silver medalists
- Nic Fink: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
- Lauren Scruggs: Fencing - Women's individual foil
- Gretchen Walsh: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
- Haley Batten: Mountain Bike - Women's cross country
- Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh. Torri Huske, Simone Manuel, Erika Connolly, Abbey Weitzel: Swimming - Women's 4x100m freestyle
- Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook: Diving - Women's springboard 3m synchronised
- Katie Grimes: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
- Jagger Eaton: Skateboarding - Men's street
- Regan Smith: Swimming - Women's 100m backstroke
- Bobby Finke: Swimming - Men's 800m freestyle
- Carson Foster, Brooks Curry, Chris Guiliano, Luke Hobson, Drew Kibler, Blake Pieroni, Kieran Smith: Swimming - Men, 4x200m freestyle
- Perris Benegas: Cycling - Women's BMX freestyle
- Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 100m freestyle
Bronze medalists
- Carson Foster: Swimming - Men's 400m individual medley
- Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 400m freestyle
- Chloe Dygert: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
- Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, Paul Juda, Asher Hong: Artistic Gymnastics - Men's team competition
- Nick Itkin: Fencing - Men's foil individual
- Emma Weyant: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
- Ryan Murphy: Swimming - Men's 100m backstroke
- Luke Hobson: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle
- Nyjah Huston: Skateboarding - Men's street
- Ilona Maher, Kayla Canett, Lauren Doyle, Alev Kelter, Kristi Kirshe, Sarah Levy, Alena Olsen, Ariana Ramsey, Steph Rovetti, Alex Sedrick, Sammy Sullivan, Naya Tapper: Rugby 7s - Women's team competition
- Katharine Berkoff: Swimming - Women's 100m backstroke
- Evy Leibfarth: Canoe slalom - Women's Canoe Single
Topics: Instagram, Olympics, Simone Biles, Social Media, Sport, Twitter, Viral, US News
Tom Earnshaw