Former USA gymnastics team member McKayla Maroney is overtly throwing some shade at MyKayla Skinner.
“It doesn’t get more iconic than this,” Maroney, 28, wrote in a comment on Simone Biles’ Instagram post on Tuesday, July 30. “She f’d around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name.”
Maroney’s more obvious comment came after Biles, 27, appeared to shade Skinner — and her past controversial comments — on Tuesday after the U.S. women’s gymnastics team took the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Maroney was part of the “Fierce Five” that won gold at the 2012 Olympics.)
“Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” Biles captioned her post, which showed her and teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera holding up the American flag while cheering for their win.
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Fans were quick to draw subtle comparisons to past comments made by Skinner, 27, last month.
In a YouTube video, Skinner criticized “the talent and the depth” of the U.S. gymnastics team, claiming it “isn’t what it used to be.” She made sure to clarify that she was not talking about Biles.
“The girls just don’t have the work ethic,” Skinner continued. “A lot of girls don’t work as hard. It’s hard too because of SafeSport. Coaches can’t get on athletes which in some ways is really good but at the same time, to get to where you need to be in gymnastics you do have to be … a little aggressive, a little intense.”
SafeSport is an independent organization that was created to prevent “to sexual, physical, and emotional abuse” in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympics.
After receiving a barrage of backlash for her comments, Skinner was quick to issue an apology.
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“I want to formally apologize to Team USA and to our gymnastic community for my comments during my recent YouTube episodes of the gymnastics Olympic trials,” she shared in a statement to Us Weekly earlier this month. “It was not my intention to offend or disrespect any of the athletes or to take away from their hard work. Your hard work and dedication has paid off and I congratulate each and every one of you.”
Skinner went on to say her comments came following “emotional and verbal abuse” she allegedly endured under past Team USA coach Márta Károlyi. (Márta and her husband, Béla Károlyi’s alleged strict gymnastics practices came to light in a 2018 piece published by the Associated Press.)
“I take full responsibility for what I said and I deeply apologize,” Skinner concluded. “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!”
