Simone Biles says it was ‘right’ to call out MyKayla Skinner

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To become a world-class athlete, let alone one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, you need incredible timing.

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While it is undeniable that Simone Biles has that quality in competition, perhaps it’s not so much away from the gym.

Biles said that she does not regret calling out MyKayla Skinner in defence of her current U.S. teammates after their gold-medal performance at the Paris Olympics.

“It’s important because you have to teach them to use their voices,” Biles told People magazine on Tuesday. “And if not, you’re a voice for the voiceless, which is OK.

“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.”

While it’s perfectly fine for Biles to back up her defence of her teammates, the article was posted after Skinner shared a video on Instagram in which she said that her and her family were being attacked online and even receiving “death threats.”

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“I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn’t have to be revisited, but unfortunately things have really gotten out of hand lately,” an emotional Skinner said in the video posted Tuesday to Instagram.

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“So, to Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this,” Skinner continued.

“If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent and that’s how she really feels, I am really heartbroken over it. But not just heartbroken because it isn’t how I feel … but heartbroken because 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.”

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Prior to the Games, Skinner made comments about the talent and depth of the team heading to Paris during an interview on YouTube.

“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” Skinner said in a since-deleted YouTube video, which went viral on X. “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”

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She later apologized for the remarks.

After Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera won gold in the team event, she threw some shade at Skinner’s comments, posting a pic of the squad celebrating with the caption: “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.”

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As of Wednesday afternoon, Biles had not yet publicly responded to Skinner regarding the alleged threats.

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