Simone Biles takes veiled dig at former teammate after ‘lazy’ accusations

NEW DELHI: Simone Biles recently made headlines with her response to comments made by her former teammate, MyKayla Skinner. After the U.S. women's gymnastics team secured a gold medal in the team final at the Olympic Games, Biles took to social media with a caption that appeared to be a veiled jab at Skinner's earlier remarks.In the lead-up to the Olympics, Skinner had criticized the current generation of gymnasts, suggesting a lack of talent and work ethic compared to previous generations. Her comments drew widespread backlash from the gymnastics community, including former Olympians who rallied in support of the current athletes.Biles's caption, which read "Lack of talent, lazy Olympic champions," accompanied by a photo of her triumphant teammates, was a clear reference to Skinner's earlier statements. This move sparked further controversy, with Skinner claiming that Biles had blocked her on social media platforms.The situation escalated as Biles's teammates joined in, with Sunisa Lee commenting on Biles's post, implying that Skinner had been "ended" by Biles' remarks. Kathy Johnson Clarke, a two-time Olympic medalist turned commentator, also weighed in, seemingly referring to Skinner's comments as "stinky."Skinner, who had previously felt unfairly left off the 2016 Rio squad, was selected to represent the U.S. as an individual in Tokyo, where she earned a silver medal in the vault event. However, her comments about the current generation of gymnasts overshadowed her achievement.In the aftermath of the controversy, Skinner attempted to smooth things over by suggesting her comments had been misinterpreted and issuing an apology. However, Biles remained unimpressed, stating that "not everyone needs a mic and a platform," possibly prompting Skinner's longer written apology a few days later.Despite Skinner's efforts to make amends, Biles and most of the Team USA gymnasts had already unfollowed her on Instagram, indicating a breakdown in their relationship.