An unexpected USA Gymnastics member has joined the discussion in the latest twist of the Simone Biles-MyKayla Skinner controversy. The drama began when Biles took to Instagram to respond to Skinner’s recent comments, sparking a heated exchange. Adding to the drama, the USA Gymnastics official photographer posted a funny Instagram story that stirred up even more buzz.

After the USA women’s gymnastics team won the final, Simone Biles posted a photo of the Americans celebrating their gold medal. She captioned, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.” Although she didn’t tag Skinner, the caption seemed to target Skinner’s recent remarks about this year’s U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials.

Amid the social media frenzy, J.O.H.N K. C.H.E.N.G shared an Instagram story with photos of the team’s pair events at the Olympics. His caption read, “photo by lack of talent, lazy, olympics photographer… no one could ever find him.” The photographer’s post added another layer to the ongoing discussions and reactions online, humorously noting how USA elite gymnasts, from Jade to Biles, always seem to look for him.

John Cheng continued the Instagram story by sharing photos of Simone Biles with teammates from 2021. He pointed an arrow and wrote, “Where is John Freakin’ Cheng?” This hinted at his role with the USA team. He posted a photo of the Paris Olympics team in the same story. Standing with the flag, he captioned it, “Jade 2024: ‘Look at John!’ Everyone: ‘Where is John?'” This highlighted that true success lies in shared experiences.

This cold war started when MyKayla Skinner criticized the talent of the all-around U.S. team in a YouTube video where she raised questions about the current team’s work ethics and dedication, stating, “Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be. Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard. The girls just don’t have the work ethic.” However, after all this, the drama that started with the comment by former teammate MyKayla Skinner went ahead.

Though Biles did not explain anything about the caption, the possible subtext in that caption can never go unnoticed. It looked clearer when one of the team members, elite gymnast Sunisa Lee, wrote under Simone Biles’ post, “Put a finger down if Simone Biles just ended you.” Jordan Chiles did not hesitate to comment on that post, saying, “And that’s on period!!” These comments showcase their support for each other in the games. 

However, the reactions were not limited to only the current USA team as former Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan even clapped harder at the “haters” of the USA gymnastics team and commented, “Four letter word for all the haters — G.O.A.T 🐐!!! Bravo.” on the same post. In fact, American gymnast MacKayla Maroney funnily reciprocated, saying that it is very ironic that she and Skinner have the same first name, which made her feel like withdrawing her first name. So, it seems like maybe these types of comments will only help the team get stronger.

The USA Team shone at the Paris Olympics and won gold with grace

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team turned their redemption tour into a dominant showcase. Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera took the gold medal with 171.296 points. Biles soared on the vault, helping secure the top spot. Lee shined on bars, and Chiles stepped up in the all-around. Despite a fall on the beam, Chiles earned a bronze and helped lead the team to gold, passing off to Carey and Biles. Carey nailed a vault, echoing the 2008 victory. Led by Biles, the team won another Olympic gold at Bercy Arena, their third in the last four Summer Games. They finished nearly six points ahead of Italy, with Brazil taking bronze. “It was super exciting. We had fun. We enjoyed each other’s time out there, and we just did our gymnastics,” Biles said.

Simone Biles excelled in all four events, starting with a soaring Cheng vault and ending with her signature floor routine set to Taylor Swift’s music. “I think it speaks volumes of her strength,” said Chellsie Memmel. Lee was masterful on the balance beam and strong on the bars. Chiles competed in all four events, making one mistake on the beam. Carey, despite being ill, hit a terrific vault. Rivera competed in qualifying but did not participate in the team final. “Having this opportunity definitely felt really good,” Chiles said. The U.S. team showed the world that their strength lies in their skills and unbreakable bonds. With each twist and turn, they proved that their journey was far from over and their legacy was golden.