Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner's Controversy

Welcome to 'EssentiallySports Daily', your front-row seat to the latest sports news, insights, and analysis! - powered by EssentiallySports

👋 Hey Team USA Fans!

As a valued reader of EssentiallySports, we know you enjoy staying up-to-date with the latest sports news and insights. So we are surely excited to take you on a journey with our exclusive coverage of Team USA's Road to Paris.

Let 'EssentiallySports Daily' be your all-access pass to the world of sports, starting with the Paris Olympics and then expanding into a wide variety of sports later on. We thank you for your continued support and dedication to EssentiallySports. Let's rally together to cheer on Team USA and celebrate their pursuit of excellence in Paris!

Among the biggest stories from yesterday, we will also dive into an exclusive interview with multiple gold winner Sunisa Lee's family. As we talked to her mom, we could see the joy in her eyes, paired with a hint of nervousness, as her 21-year-old daughter took the grand stage to make America proud.

🥇MEDAL COUNT

China Leads With 11 Gold Medals

🙌 HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY

Katie Ledecky Creates History!

What a day it is to be alive to watch legends from our country make history in the biggest event of sports—the Olympics! However much worry or stress it might have been for the Olympics to kick off in Paris, chants of the USA in the Olympic Village were loudest. And that’s exactly what happened when one of our greatest swimmers, Florida’s one and only Katie Ledecky, dove to claim the 1500m freestyle gold. As soon as the race started, within moments, USA’s Katie was in the lead. By the time she completed her first 50 meters, her rivals were still navigating the pool’s midpoint. Her remarkable lead only grew as she swam until her breathtaking victory that saw her finish with a staggering difference of 10 seconds ahead of the pack!

Ledecky’s win marked the first individual gold for Team USA at the Paris Olympics 2024. And with this, she adds her 12th medal on her wall of fame. Ledecky, who broke her tie with Michael Phelps by winning a record 16th individual swimming world title, has now broken her own Olympic record by clocking the time of 15:30.02. Owing to her 1500m victory, she joined the clan with Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, and Natalie Coughlin for the most medals ever won by a female swimmer of any country. 

What stole the show was Michael Phelps backing the swimming sensation. After Tokyo’s loss, Katie was facing the nation’s wrath. Sometimes, fans with their loyalty can become brutal too, right? Taking that into consideration, the Baltimore Bullet reinstated Katie’s status as GOAT, saying, “She’s setting records every single day. Moving forward, she’s coming into her bread and butter events. (To which we all will have our eyes glued to the screen) The events she has dominated her whole career. This race will be something she will put behind her, and really start to generate that focus towards the upcoming events”.

Dive Deeper: Katie Ledecky Leaves A Message For Florida After Winning 1500m At Paris Olympics: “Came In My Head”

📊 POLL OF THE DAY

🌟 ES EXCLUSIVE

Despite Two Kidney Issues, Suni Lee Leaves No Crumbs to Make USA Proud

Suni Lee, the Golden Girl of America, made her country proud again in the Paris Olympics. After being diagnosed with incurable kidney diseases, Lee almost startled us, thinking her days as a star gymnast were gone. But that’s not the case here! The  21-year-old American gymnast bagged her second Olympic medal in Paris and showed that she is not that easy to break apart. Lee’s achievement in the Bercy Arena Hall has made her family proud. Her mother and aunt couldn’t stop brimming with immense pride. “It was very emotional for me, especially when she did her routine,” said Lee’s mother to our correspondent, Shreya Verma. Like Lee’s mother, all of her fans could revisit the Olympian’s brilliant moves on the floor. 

Now, Suni Lee’s kidney disease halted her NCAA career. She still fought hard because of the Paris Olympics and reached the finals with Simone Biles. Despite obstacles, Lee made all of her fans proud crossing over not just her game’s towering hurdles but her life’s challenges to inspire us. “We are so proud of her and her team”, said Lee’s aunt. On the other hand, the smiles on Lee’s mother's and aunt’s faces expressed how Lee’s victory has doubled following her family’s happiness. Lee’s mother finally dropped her verdict when she said, “I am super proud of her.”  

Suni Lee’s achievement inspires the young generation to focus on hard work and passion. It also shows that family support is the most pivotal thing in one’s life. The way Suni Lee’s family cheered for their precious girl revealed the 21-year-old Gymnast’s source of such a winning drive. After all, it only takes a little bit of support from the ones we love to make unimaginable things possible in our lives! 

Dive Deeper: Fighting Two Kidney Diseases, Suni Lee’s Family Discloses Emotional Reaction Over Paris Olympics Performance

😎 HERO OF THE DAY

Michael Phelps Applauds Leon Marchand

Talking about swimming and the Olympics, how can we forget the legacy of Michael Phelps, who added 28 Olympic medals to his already impressive resume with the guidance of his coach Bob Bowman? But things became interesting when Bowman’s 22-year-old mentee, Leon Marchand, earned the Flying Fish’s praise. 

When the Frenchman earned his first Olympic gold medal in the 400m Individual medley, Michael Phelps was seen celebrating in the stands. 

When asked about Leon breaking his records, the GOAT stated, “All records are meant to be broken. For me, nobody believed that I was able to do things I was trying to do. But I did deep down inside. Same thing for him, and I love it.” And that’s how the swimming GOAT passed the baton to the young Frenchman.

Dive Deeper: Leon Marchand’s 1 Email to Michael Phelps’ Coach Bob Bowman Became Reason for Paris Olympics Gold

Simone Biles Takes a Jab at MyKayla Skinner

What started as a mere YouTube livestream turned into a small revolution, and in return, the whole episode riled up the entire gymnastics community. As soon as the comment, “The girls just don’t have the work ethic” was made by Skinner, a roar erupted and prompted even Simone Biles to reply, “Not everyone needs a mic and a platform.”

Little did the world know that that was just the start of the chaos about to unfold. Shortly after Simone Biles, it was Jordan Chiles’ mother, and other prominent people in the entire country responded to Mykayla. 

The video was already deleted by this time and Mykayla had already issued an apology, but it was to no avail. As the days passed, and the 33rd Olympiad unfolded in the French capital, the Golden Girls performed tremendously well. Qualifying into the team final, Hezly Rivera, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Suni Lee and Simone Biles managed to get USA yet another gold in all-around. 

The Mykayla Skinner controversy took a brutal yet spicy turn when Simone Biles herself took to Instagram to post the winning pictures of the Golden Girls holding the American Flag on their backs. Under those images, in the caption, Biles penned, “lack of talent, lazy olympic champions”. 

But, the controversy did not end here. When the Paris Olympics started, it was the men’s team who came in with a bang to qualify for the team final and eventually ended up winning a medal in 16 years. To which Skinner congratulated the team on her Instagram. However, when Team USA's women’s gymnastics team brought home the victory, Skinner chose to stay silent.

Following this, Simone Biles’ Tokyo Olympics teammate blocked Biles from her social media. Shutting down the conjectures, Simone Biles and clan celebrated with stars and stripes at the Bercy Arena when the leaderboard showed the score of 171.296.

Dive Deeper: Simone Biles Reveals MyKayla Skinner’s Petty Behavior in Gymnastics Controversy: “Blocked”

📝 STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS!

1. Nick Saban’s Daughter Kristen Highlights Simone Biles’ Bold ‘Lack of Talent’ Clapback Following USA’s Gold Medal Triumph - Full Story

2. “Sting for a While”: Gymnastics Legend Breaks Silence on Hardest Hezly Rivera Decision for Paris Olympics - Full Story

3. Is Suni Lee Still Dating USC Star Jaylin Smith? Everything You Need to Know about the Gymnastics Star’s Love Life - Full Story

4. Fighting For His Spot Noah Lyles Frustrated With Lack of Privacy at Paris Olympics: “I Don’t Want to Leave” - Full Story

Paris Olympics Live: Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Swimming, Athletics and More Team USA Updates

💌 FEEDBACK

We appreciate your valuable feedback as it would help us deliver you the best sports content that you love. Just scroll up and let us in on your thoughts. This will further help us curate content that is PERFECT for YOU!