In the wake of an ongoing Olympic feud with former U.S. gymnast MyKayla Skinner, Simone Biles opened up about her leadership role on Team USA and why she felt the need to defend her teammates against Skinner’s previous critical comments.
Biles will leave this summer’s Games as the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history with 11 medals in total—four of which she earned in Paris. Her time in the Olympics was characterized by moments of both jubilant triumph and amusing pettiness, as Biles memorably celebrated the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad’s gold medal win in the team finals with an Instagram post caption that appeared to take a shot at Skinner.
Biles doesn’t seem to have any regrets about that, though.
“For somebody to stand up, I know it meant a lot for (my teammates),” Biles told PEOPLE earlier this week. “I just felt like it was right in that moment to stand up for them, because they’re so young and they haven’t fully stood in their power yet.”
Biles, 27, headlined this year’s Olympic squad as one of the most talented veterans alongside Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles. 16-year-old Hezly Rivera was only one to make her Olympic debut in Paris.
Though Team USA as a whole was by no means short on experience, Biles still took over as the “team lead” and made a point to stand up for herself and her teammates throughout the Games. Along with her social media dig at Skinner, she unapologetically clapped back at former President Donald Trump as well as posting a series of tweets criticizing Olympics media coverage.
“It’s important because you have to teach them to use their voices,” Biles said. “And if not, you’re a voice for the voiceless, which is okay.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Simone Biles Drops Great Quote on Leadership Amid MyKayla Skinner Drama.
