Former US gymnast MyKayla Skinner has made a public plea to Simone Biles , asking her to end what she describes as "cruel attacks."
Skinner has been actively encouraging her followers to stop the online harassment and death threats that have escalated amid their ongoing dispute .
The ex-gymnast took to social media with a video addressing the trolling she's faced.
On Instagram, MyKayla revealed that she and her family have been receiving death threats recently. She stated: "I sincerely hoped that this topic wouldn't have to be revisited, but unfortunately things have really gotten out of hand lately. So, to Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this."
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The tension between the two athletes started after Skinner critiqued the US gymnastics team's talent, excluding Simone, in an interview by saying: "Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be."
Following the team's victory as all-around Olympic champions, Biles posted a photo with the caption: "lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions."
Since then, Skinner claims she has become a target for cyberbullies, or simply people who feel as though she has been rightly put in her place.
MyKayla Skinner explained the situation, stating: "Why I'm here is because four weeks ago, I made a comment about work ethic and what seems to be taking place with the rising generation," she said at the start of her Instagram video. "To be totally clear, I take 100 percent for poorly articulating the point I was trying to make.
"The last thing I wanted was to cause harm or offend our US Olympic Team. I know these women are incredible - the very best of the best. And almost all of them are my former teammates, who I have enjoyed very much cheering on the last few years.
"I posted a video apology on Instagram and I followed up with a written apology and I sent individual messages to each of the women on the team. Only Simone had responded, and she told me that she was proud of me. You guys can imagine my surprise last week when I was celebrating our team winning gold, just to see this all brought up all over again by a caption on an Instagram post."
She added: "If Simone truly believes that I called our team lazy and lacking talent and that's how she really feels, I am really heartbroken over it. But not just heartbroken because it isn't how I feel... but heartbroken because Simone's latest [social media] post and others that followed it fueled another wave of hateful comments, DMs, articles and emails hate that includes death threats to me, my family and even my agent."
"My family and my friends don't deserve to be caught in the crossfire here. They've done nothing. So, to Simone, I am asking you directly and publicly to please put a stop to this. Please ask your followers to stop. You have been an incredible champion for mental health awareness, and a lot of people need your help now."
"We've been hurt and attacked in ways that I am certain you never intended. Your performance, the team's performance and the Olympics in general should be a time when we support one another and lift each other and our country up. I love our country and I love our team and I hope we can move on and move forward and cheer on the rest of our teammates and our athletes together."
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