Simone Biles' takeover at the 2024 Olympics earned her multiple gold medals and the distinction of becoming the most decorated gymnast of all-time. As she dominated in the gym and on the world stage, Biles found herself in the white-hot glare of the spotlight — and chose to stand up for herself at every turn.
Here are the 11-time Olympic medalist's most viral clapbacks at the Paris Olympics:
The MyKayla Skinner Shade
MyKayla Skinner — who was teammates with Biles at the Tokyo Games in 2021 — had already incurred the wrath of her fellow gymnasts before any of them had even stepped on the mat in Paris.
As she shared in her now-deleted YouTube video from July — reacting to the gymnasts who made the 2024 Olympic team — Skinner opined that apart from Biles, she felt "like the talent and the depth [in gymnastics] just isn't like what it used to be. I mean, obviously a lot of girls don't work as hard. The girls just don't have the work ethic."
Weeks later, after Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey (all of whom competed with Skinner at the Tokyo Olympics) and Hezly Rivera won gold in the team all-around final in Paris, the GOAT seemingly shaded Skinner in her Instagram post celebrating the win.
"Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions ❤️🥇🇺🇸," Biles wrote alongside photos of her and the rest of Team USA running across the gymnasium with the American flag.
Biles Hits Back at Hair Critics
in the midst of the Olympic Games, online trolls decided to make Biles' hair their business by critiquing her messy bun.
"Gonna hold your hand when I say this," Biles — who won three gold medals and one silver in Paris — wrote via instagram in July. "Next time you wanna comment on a black girl's hair. JUST DON'T."
GOAT Things
Biles sent a message to "the haters" in August while rocking a GOAT pendant alongside her gold medal after winning the individual all-around gold.
"It's a little ode," Biles told reporters at the time of the sparkly piece, which featured more than 360 diamonds. "I mean, a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT [Greatest of All Time], so I thought it would be really special if I got one made. The haters hate it, so I love that even more."
Biles Calls Out Racism for a Second Time During the Games
In June, former president Donald Trump made controversial comments about how immigrants were "taking Black jobs." The remarks instantly made their way to social media, where they were condemned and meme-d by the masses. in July, one person related the comment to Biles' big wins in Paris.
"Simone Biles being the GOAT, winning Gold medals and dominating gymnastics is her black job," they tweeted.
Biles, for her part, quote-tweeted the post and replied: "I love my black job 🖤."
Standing Up for Her Husband
Biles has defended her husband, Jonathan Owens, multiple times over the years. And at the 2024 Olympics, she grew exasperated that she couldn't even let Owens wear her medals without people getting mad.
"Crazy thing is, I put my medal on every single one of my family members and took pictures. So don't ever make assumptions," she wrote in the comments of a TikTok video in August. "Like y'all are so f***ing miserable. Leave us alone."
'Let Us Soak Up the Moment We've Worked Our Whole Lives For'
After being repeatedly asked about her future plans after her four big wins in Paris, Biles expressed her frustration via social media.
"You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what's next after they win a medal at the Olympics," she wrote via X in August. "Let us soak up the moment we've worked our whole lives for."
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