Three years ago, when Simone Biles withdrew from the U.S. women’s gymnastics team final at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health, she faced a barrage of criticism, including from right-wing pundits who called her “weak” and “selfish.”
On Tuesday, Biles led Team USA to a triumphant gold medal after they scored a nearly six-point win over their competitors.
In an Instagram post later in the day, Biles appeared to respond to critics, writing “lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions” alongside photos of her and her teammates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera celebrating their win on the floor.
Biles’ caption appeared to be a pointed reference to her former teammate Mykayla Skinner’s comments last month. In a now-deleted YouTube video, Skinner — who replaced Biles in the 2020 team final after she withdrew — criticized the team, saying “a lot of girls don’t work as hard.”
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” Skinner said. “The girls just don’t have the work ethic.”
She later posted a statement apologizing for her comments.
The team’s gold medal Tuesday was a victorious comeback after winning silver in the last Olympics. Several of the Team USA gymnasts had overcome significant mental and physical health issues in recent years: Biles publicly struggled with the “twisties,” which led to her stepping down from the last Olympics’ team final; Lee, who won the Olympic all-around title in Tokyo, was diagnosed with two kidney diseases last year; and Chiles, who has grappled with the expectations in gymnastics, had considered letting go of the sport.
Biles’ withdrawal from the Tokyo team final, in particular, drew intense criticism from conservatives, many of whom jumped on the opportunity to turn her into a culture war villain despite showing no understanding of the rigorous demands of professional sports. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called her a “selfish sociopath,” North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said she was “weak,” and JD Vance, who was running for the Senate at the time and is now Donald Trump’s running mate, questioned why people were praising Biles for putting her mental health first.
Biles, 27, became the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history with her team’s gold medal Tuesday. So far, no word from her critics on that.
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