Simone Biles defends Team USA: «I am a voice for the voiceless»
9 august 2024 в 00:13
Simone Biles will always defend the US team. The 27-year-old gymnast discussed how she supports her teammates during a new interview after completing her third Olympics.
«It's important because you have to teach them to use their voices», - she told PEOPLE in an interview published last week. «And if not, then you’re a voice for the voiceless, which is okay».
As a «team leader» and the oldest player on the team, Simone pointed out that «it just felt like at that moment it was right to stand up for them because they are so young and haven’t fully found their strength yet».
Although she did not specify what exactly she was defending her teammates against — Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Suni Lee, and Grace McCallum — Simone’s comment was made on the same day when Mykayla Skinner publicly asked her fans to «stop» harassing the former Olympic champion.
«I am addressing you directly and publicly, please stop this», - said Mykayla, 27, in a video on Instagram last week. «Please ask your followers to stop. … Watching people support bullying is disgusting».
Mykayla referred to the toxicity she saw from online users due to comments she had previously made about the current generation of gymnasts. In June 2020, the silver medalist in vault appeared in a video criticizing the «talent» and «work ethic» of athletes compared to those who were in the past under former US team coordinator Martha Karolyi. After receiving criticism from fans, Mykayla publicly apologized, but Simone seemed to respond to this in her Instagram post after the US team’s gold medal victory.
«No talent, lazy, Olympic champions», - Simone captioned her post. Many social media users and athletes believed that the GOAT was hinting at Mykayla’s comments. Shortly before this, Mykayla had blocked Simone on Instagram, and Simone seemed to confirm this by tweeting, «Oops, I got blocked».
During her Instagram video, Mykayla claimed that she sent «individual messages» to each gymnast on the US team apologizing, but only Simone apparently responded and said that «she is proud» of Mykayla.
«You can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team’s gold medal victory, only to see it brought up again in an Instagram post», - the Arizonan said, adding. «If Simone really believes that I called our team lazy and talentless, and if that is really how she feels, I am truly heartbroken by this. But not only because it’s not what I feel or even what I previously said, but because Simone’s latest post and others that followed have fueled another wave of hateful comments, personal messages, articles, and emails. Hatred that includes death threats to me, my family, and even my agent. My family and friends do not deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They have done nothing».
Simone has not yet responded to Mykayla’s video on Instagram
«It's important because you have to teach them to use their voices», - she told PEOPLE in an interview published last week. «And if not, then you’re a voice for the voiceless, which is okay».
As a «team leader» and the oldest player on the team, Simone pointed out that «it just felt like at that moment it was right to stand up for them because they are so young and haven’t fully found their strength yet».
Although she did not specify what exactly she was defending her teammates against — Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Suni Lee, and Grace McCallum — Simone’s comment was made on the same day when Mykayla Skinner publicly asked her fans to «stop» harassing the former Olympic champion.
«I am addressing you directly and publicly, please stop this», - said Mykayla, 27, in a video on Instagram last week. «Please ask your followers to stop. … Watching people support bullying is disgusting».
Mykayla referred to the toxicity she saw from online users due to comments she had previously made about the current generation of gymnasts. In June 2020, the silver medalist in vault appeared in a video criticizing the «talent» and «work ethic» of athletes compared to those who were in the past under former US team coordinator Martha Karolyi. After receiving criticism from fans, Mykayla publicly apologized, but Simone seemed to respond to this in her Instagram post after the US team’s gold medal victory.
«No talent, lazy, Olympic champions», - Simone captioned her post. Many social media users and athletes believed that the GOAT was hinting at Mykayla’s comments. Shortly before this, Mykayla had blocked Simone on Instagram, and Simone seemed to confirm this by tweeting, «Oops, I got blocked».
During her Instagram video, Mykayla claimed that she sent «individual messages» to each gymnast on the US team apologizing, but only Simone apparently responded and said that «she is proud» of Mykayla.
«You can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team’s gold medal victory, only to see it brought up again in an Instagram post», - the Arizonan said, adding. «If Simone really believes that I called our team lazy and talentless, and if that is really how she feels, I am truly heartbroken by this. But not only because it’s not what I feel or even what I previously said, but because Simone’s latest post and others that followed have fueled another wave of hateful comments, personal messages, articles, and emails. Hatred that includes death threats to me, my family, and even my agent. My family and friends do not deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They have done nothing».
Simone has not yet responded to Mykayla’s video on Instagram
© Artemenko Olga
