McKayla Maroney showed her support for Simone Biles and her teammates after they won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This came after MyKayla Skinner made comments about the lack of talent and work ethic of the gymnasts on the team. Biles responded to Skinner’s criticism with a caption on an Instagram photo celebrating their victory and calling themselves Olympic champions. Maroney joined in on the shade in the comments section, praising the “iconic” winners and joking that she needed to apologize to redeem her first name.
Skinner, who had previously received backlash for her comments, re-posted a photo of the Team USA members on her Instagram Story with heart emojis. She had apologized for her earlier remarks and deleted the YouTube video in which she had made the comments about the gymnasts. Skinner expressed her respect for the hard work and dedication of Biles and her teammates and congratulated them on their success.
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles and Skinner had competed together and won silver medals as a team, with Biles also taking home a bronze medal for her balance beam routine. Biles has another bronze medal from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, in addition to four gold medals. On Tuesday, when Biles and her teammates secured first place, she became the most decorated gymnast in history, surpassing Shannon Miller’s previous record of seven Olympic medals.
Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, celebrated her record-breaking achievement on Instagram, despite facing controversy in the past for claiming he didn’t know who she was before they met. Owens expressed his gratitude for being able to witness Biles make history every time she stepped on the mat. The NFL player, who married Biles in April 2023, shared his pride and admiration for his wife’s accomplishments, thanking her for allowing him to be present for her historic moment at the Olympics.
Overall, Skinner’s initial comments about the lack of talent and work ethic among the gymnasts on the team sparked controversy, which led to her apologizing and expressing her respect and admiration for Biles and her teammates. Biles continued to make history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the most decorated gymnast in history. Her husband, Owens, celebrated her achievement and expressed his gratitude for being able to witness her success. McKenzie Maroney also showed her support for Biles and her teammates and joked about needing to apologize to redeem her first name in light of their victory.
