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Gymnastics drama: Do you side with Simone Biles or MyKayla Skinner in this controversy?

Simone Biles has been blocked by MyKayla Skinner! Well, it seems like the former Olympian Skinner is not taking the recent backlashes in a sporting manner. Skinner, who initially criticized the women’s artistic gymnastics team going to Paris, is now forced to swallow her own words. In what was a scintillating display of class, power, and finesse, Simone Biles and Co. marched dominantly to clinch the team gold yesterday. 

The likes of Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey provided ample assistance to Simone to stand at the pinnacle. Meanwhile, soon after achieving the historic feat, Biles took a shot at MyKayla Skinner’s earlier rant on social media. Taking to her Instagram account, Biles stated, “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions.” This was a direct dig at the Tokyo 2016 silver medalist, who complained about the gymnasts lacking depth and not having enough work ethics. Such a comment was apparently not received well by MyKayla Skinner. According to the latest update from Simone Biles, Skinner had allegedly blocked the US gymnast queen. Biles’ latest X post reads, “oop I’ve been blocked 👀🫢😂” Confirming the incident further, Jordan Chiles posted a snap of Simone Biles’ cellphone on her Instagram story. The picture revealed that Skinner has indeed blocked Simone Biles. Chiles captioned the post saying, “When she blocks Simone.”

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Well, delving down memory lane, MyKayla Skinner won the silver medal in vault at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, it was her recent rant on YouTube that riled up the entire gymnastics community. In what is now a deleted YouTube video, Skinner shockingly claimed the Team USA gymnasts of not having the required depth and work ethics. Skinner further continued to say that the coaches refrained from using aggressive tactics due to the SafeSport norms. The former Olympian believed that it was necessary for the coaches to use a little aggression in order to bring out the best among the athletes. Following her comments on YouTube, fans and critics alike were shocked to the core as the trauma related to abusive training practices was well known. 

MyKayla Skinner gets mocked despite her apology

Skinner’s comments regarding abusive tactics were quite concerning following the accusations related to the abusive tactics being followed at the Karolyi Ranch. The ranch, which was once considered to be the best US gymnast facility, was plagued by allegations of abuse, mistreatment, insult, and even lack of proper nutrition. Thus, after witnessing the trauma of the young gymnasts first hand, such a comment coming from MyKayla Skinner was unacceptable. Surely enough, Simone Biles’ Instagram post received immense backing which included quite a number of well-known personalities. 

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In the comments section of Biles’ Instagram post, former Olympian MacKayla Maroney hilariously stated that she wanted to support Biles to ‘redeem’ her first name. Jonathan Owens, Simone Biles’ husband, indirectly took a dig at Skinner and hinted that if someone messed with Biles unnecessarily, the consequences were bound to follow. Similarly, Jordan Chiles, Nastia Liukin, and more too, showed unwavering support for the US women’s gymnastics team. 

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Gymnastics drama: Do you side with Simone Biles or MyKayla Skinner in this controversy?

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As a matter of fact, MyKayla Skinner has already taken down the video and issued a public apology. Skinner stated that her words were misinterpreted and she never had anything personal against any of the Team USA gymnasts. Unfortunately, her apology seems to be futile as the recent incidents all point that way. Thus, with the heat now firmly on MyKayla Skinner, it remains to be seen if she can salvage her somewhat marred reputation in the future.