How Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner went from Olympics teammates to bitter enemies after USA icon's brutal Instagram comment

After their gold-medal triumph successful Paris, Simone Biles couldn't defy defending her Olympic teammates while firing shots astatine an aged 1 successful nan process.

Biles inspired USA to triumph successful nan gymnastics teams last for nan first clip since 2008 connected Tuesday, pinch their beardown people of 171.296 capable to spot disconnected closest rivals Italy and Brazil.

And conscionable hours later, nan 27-year-old took purpose astatine erstwhile teammate MyKayla Skinner while celebrating nan existent squad's historical occurrence connected Instagram.

Biles shared a photograph of herself, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey and Suni Lee holding nan American emblem aloft pinch nan caption: 'lack of talent, lazy, athletics champions'.

That sarcastic remark was of people a excavation astatine Skinner, who sparked contention by questioning nan activity ethic and dedication of this year's Olympic squad.

'Besides Simone, I consciousness for illustration nan talent and nan extent conscionable isn't for illustration what it utilized to be,' MyKayla, who won an Olympic metallic badge astatine nan 2020 Tokyo Games, said successful a now-deleted YouTube video earlier this month.

'The girls conscionable don't person nan activity ethic.'

Despite Skinner excluding her from that sadistic assessment, Biles ignited a feud pinch her ex-gymnastics buddy by appearing to deed backmost astatine her connected societal media astatine nan time. 

The USA Olympic fable took a thinly-veiled swipe astatine Skinner by penning connected Threads: 'not everyone needs a mic and a platform'.

She and a number of different gymnasts, including Chiles, Lee, and Carey, besides blocked Skinner connected societal media aft her comments. 

While they whitethorn not person been nan closest of friends, Biles and Skinner person known each different for rather immoderate clip and antecedently sewage connected good aft they some represented USA astatine nan 2014 World Championships successful Nanning.

They besides some picked up Olympic medals successful Tokyo 7 years later contempt Biles withdrawing from respective events pinch a lawsuit of nan 'twisties' - a intelligence artifact that that sees a gymnast suffer power of their assemblage during a twisting accomplishment successful midair. 

Skinner picked up her metallic successful nan vault arena aft Biles took a backseat, marking 1 of her top achievements arsenic a gymnast aft besides winning 4 golds successful nan World Championships.

However, 3 years later nan gymnastics duo who erstwhile considered themselves friends arsenic good arsenic teammates are now connected frosty terms.

When Biles issued a thinly-veiled swipe astatine her earlier this month, Skinner backtracked by claiming her comments were simply taken retired of context.

'I consciousness for illustration a batch of you guys had misinterpreted aliases misunderstood precisely what I was meaning aliases had said,' she said connected Instagram.

'A batch of nan worldly that I was talking astir wasn't ever needfully astir nan existent team, because I emotion and support each nan girls that made it and I'm truthful proud of them.

'It was much astir going backmost into my ain gym and nan activity ethic is different compared to erstwhile we were doing gymnastics successful nan Marta [Karolyi] era. And I'm not sticking up for Marta aliases saying what she did was good, I'm conscionable saying it was different.'

Yet pursuing nan team's triumph successful nan French superior this week, Biles showed that she isn't buying that excuse by throwing shadiness astatine nan erstwhile USA star.

Another erstwhile American gymnast, McKayla Maroney, backed her complete nan conflict pinch Skinner by taking her ain swipe astatine nan second connected Instagram.

'It doesn't get much iconic than this,' Maroney commented successful consequence to Biles' post. 'She f'd astir n recovered retired fr.'

Maroney past joked astir sharing a moniker pinch Skinner. 'Feels for illustration I request to apologize conscionable to redeem my first name'.

As her fallout pinch Biles and nan existent USA roster continues, Skinner still celebrated their gold-medal triumph connected Tuesday.

The three-time world champion posted a image of nan squad pinch their medals connected her Instagram communicative accompanied by 3 bosom emojis. 

Nevertheless, it remains to beryllium seen if her relationship pinch Biles is now fractured beyond repair.