Simone Biles appeared to clap backmost astatine critics - including a erstwhile teammate of hers - aft winning nan squad golden badge for women's gymnastics astatine nan Paris Olympics.
Biles, on pinch Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey, dominated nan section - winning by astir five-and-a-half points complete Italy.
On her Instagram aft nan accomplishment, Biles posted a image of nan squad pinch a sadistic caption.
'lack of talent, lazy, athletics champions,' nan station read.
That appears to beryllium a circumstantial excavation astatine a erstwhile Team USA gymnast, MyKayla Skinner, who criticized nan team's constitution successful nan run-up to nan games.
The members of nan USA women's gymnastics squad aft winning nan squad golden badge successful Paris
Simone Biles captioned her ceremony station pinch a cloaked changeable astatine a erstwhile Team USA member
MyKayla Skinner, a personnel of nan 2020 Olympic team, criticized nan 2024 team's activity ethic
In a now-deleted YouTube video, Skinner blasted nan squad of Biles, Chiles, Lee, Carey, and Hezly Rivera for not having nan correct 'work ethic'.
'Besides Simone, I consciousness for illustration nan talent and nan extent conscionable isn't for illustration what it utilized to be,' nan 27-year-old said.
'The girls conscionable don't person nan activity ethic,' Skinner continued earlier referencing nan US Center for SafeSport - a non-profit statement group up to trim intersexual maltreatment of minors and athletes successful US Olympic sports.
'And it's difficult excessively because of SafeSport. Like, coaches can't get connected athletes and they person to beryllium really observant what they say.
'Which, successful immoderate ways, is really good. But astatine nan aforesaid time, to get to wherever you request to beryllium successful gymnastics you do person to be, I consciousness like, a small fierce and a small intense.'
In nan contiguous aftermath of that, Biles clapped backmost astatine Skinner, penning connected Threads, 'not everyone needs a mic and a platform'.
Biles and a number of different gymnasts, including Chiles, Lee, and Carey, each blocked Skinner connected societal media aft her comments.
Skinner would later spell connected to apologize for her comments.
Skinner, who won a metallic badge connected vault astatine nan 2020 Games successful Tokyo aft stepping successful for Biles, precocious criticized nan 2024 Olympic gymnastics roster for not having 'work ethic'
Biles blocked Skinner aft her criticisms, contempt nan gymnast issuing an apology
'I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastic organization for my comments during my caller YouTube episodes of nan gymnastics Olympic trials. It was not my volition to offend aliases disrespect immoderate of nan athletes aliases to return distant from their difficult work,' Skinner's apology from July 6 read.
She continued, 'Upon reflection I was comparing nan 'Marta [Karolyi] era' to nan existent era. I americium coming to position that I person not afloat dealt pinch nan affectional and verbal maltreatment I endured nether Marta that possibly led to my hurtful comments. I return afloat work for what I said and I profoundly apologize.'
Skinner would decorativeness her apology by wishing nan gymnasts luck successful Paris and that she would beryllium 'cheering you each on!'
A number of group near comments nether nan station - pinch immoderate recognizing who its intended target was.
'NEVER A DOUBT', wrote American Olympic skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin.
'F AROUND AND FIND OUT,' wrote Biles' hubby and Chicago Bears information Jonathan Owens - who besides commented 'Gold medalist'.
'This caption is besides worthy of a golden medal,' wrote 1 Biles fan.
Simone Biles holds an American emblem celebrating her Olympic Gold triumph successful Paris
Simone Biles tastes her golden badge aft winning nan squad arena successful Paris, France
Another said, 'Lol she's astir apt truthful suspicious that you guys won.'
'IN THAT FKN ORDER LACK OF TALENT & LAZY OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS,' wrote different fan. 'Simone you a menace for this caption.'
Biles and Skinner some represented Team USA astatine a number of competitions - including astatine nan 2020 Olympic Games.
They picked up Olympic medals successful Tokyo, 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.
But now she has her redemption: winning a 2nd squad Olympic golden and her 5th wide Olympic golden medal.
Reflecting connected nan achievement, Biles told DailyMail.com that nan unit successful Paris was different to nan past, but her acquisition helped guideline her through.
'In 2016 we were destined to triumph golden and everybody said we were destined to triumph gold, truthful whenever we went retired location we did our occupation and we did triumph gold.
'We were a small young and naïve truthful it didn't deed nan measurement that it does now. Now that I americium overmuch older and we person truthful overmuch much acquisition and we are retired present really having nosy and enjoying what we are doing.
Simone Biles competes connected nan equilibrium beam successful nan women's squad last successful Paris, France
'So I deliberation it is conscionable different and it is not to opportunity that I wasn't shocked that we won because it was still ace surprising, my first golden badge ever. It was truthful exciting. But I deliberation nan unit was truthful connected for america to triumph golden truthful we did conscionable did what we were expected to do.
'Even going into tonight, we conscionable did what we had to do, but it conscionable felt a small spot different. It was ace exciting, we had nosy retired location and we conscionable did our gymnastics.
Simone added: ‘We're ace excited. We're honored to correspond nan US each clip we get connected a world shape but accomplishing that golden and that extremity was conscionable an astonishing feeling.
‘I deliberation we each had thing to beryllium from Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and coming we did conscionable that.
‘It intends nan world. This was our extremity going in, moreover though we didn't stock it pinch everybody because it's conscionable a individual point that we were moving on. But I deliberation for everybody it's what we came present to do. And we're ace excited to locomotion distant pinch that golden medal.'