The reason why Simone Biles branded her Olympic teammates as "lazy" and a "lack of talent" in a celebratory social media post has been revealed.
On Tuesday (July 30), the 27-year-old athlete won gold alongside her teammates, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
She decided to mark the special occasion by sharing several photos of the squad celebrating on Instagram with the scathing caption: “Lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions."
Check out the post below:Biles' caption is an apparent clapback at former teammate Mykayla Skinner's critical comments about the team in a now-deleted YouTube video.
After the Olympic team was announced, the 27-year-old said: “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,” she added in the clip, which has since gone viral on X.
Watch the video below:The former gymnast's critical comments amassed backlash on social media which led to her issuing an apology post on Instagram.
"It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you," Skinner penned on July 6.
"Upon reflection, I was comparing the 'Marta Era' to the current era. I am coming to terms that I have not fully dealt with the emotional and verbal abuse I endured under Marta that perhaps led to my hurtful comments. I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize," she went on.
The athlete added: "It is most important to me that the sport I love continue down the path of healing and ensures a positive environment for all. I wish you all the very best in Paris. I will be cheering you all on! Go Team USA!”
Skinner competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics alongside Biles, with the team winning silver medals at the time.
She announced her retirement in July 2021 and is pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism.
Meanwhile, Biles now has eight Olympic medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in American history, beating Olympian Shannon Miller, who won between the years 1992 and 1996.
Biles will now have the opportunity to take home up to four more medals in the individual all-around finals, which kicks off on August 1.