Riley Gaines and Simone Biles are in a heated debate about transgender athletes, which started when Biles criticized Gaines, a conservative activist. Gaines faced backlash when she voiced disapproval of a Minnesota high school softball team for including a transgender player.
The situation escalated as the USA Olympic champion, 28, responded by comparing Gaines to a man. This led to a public clash online, with Gaines, known for hosting OutKick’s Gaines for Girls podcast, responding with multiple criticisms. The confrontation between the two athletes continues to intensify.
Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer, has now retaliated with her own harsh remarks, delving into past incidents to counter Biles’ criticisms.
Gaines, 25, trawled through eight years’ worth of Biles’ social media presence to unearth a 2017 post that she claims undermines the USA Olympic hero’s current stance on the gender row.Â
‘ahhhh good thing guys don’t compete against girls or he’d take all the gold medals !!’ the old post from Biles read.Â
Gaines reshared the tweet and responded: ‘Oop don’t you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?
Riley Gaines (R) has continued to wage war with Simone Biles (L) over transgender athletesÂ
Gained unearthed one of the USA Olympic hero’s social media posts from 2017Â
The activist claimed that the gymnast’s eight-year-old tweet undermines her current stanceÂ
‘How has 2025 Simone reconciled with the fact 2017 Simone was a ‘truly sick bully’ by her own standard?’
Gaines has forged a career as a political commentator for OutKick and Fox following her time as a swimmer, where she competed against trans athlete Lia Thomas. Her campaigning has won praise from Donald Trump, who welcomed her to the White House before signing the ‘Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports’ executive order in February.
On Friday, Gaines retweeted a picture of Minnesota team Champlin Park celebrating the state high school title that they won with transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger on the team.
‘Comments off lol,’ Gaines wrote in response to the post. ‘To be expected when your star player is a boy.’
It sparked a blistering response from Biles, 28, who first criticized Gaines’ view and then compared her appearance to a man. Biles wrote: ‘You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser.
‘You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!
‘But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!’
She then tweeted at Gaines again, saying: ‘Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.’
Biles attacked Gaines on X on Friday night after her latest remarks on trans athletesÂ
Biles, a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, tore into Gaines on social media for her trans stance
Gaines has consistently campaigned against trans athletes competing in women’s sports
Gaines shakes Donald Trump’s hand on the day he signed an executive order on trans athletes
Gaines replied: ‘This is actually so disappointing. It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest.’
She continued: ‘My take is the least controversial take on the planet. Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls’ dreams? Didn’t have that on my bingo card. Maybe she could compete in pommel horse and rings in 2028.’
Gaines then addressed Biles mocking her appearance, saying: ‘And the subtle hint at “body-shaming” ???? Plzzzz I’m 5’5″.’
Gaines continued to hit back by referencing the horrific abuse Biles and other gymnasts suffered at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.
‘All the horrific sexual abuse @Simmone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man’s feelings,’ the former collegiate swimmer posted on X following the gymnastics legend’s attack. ‘You know how many gold medals you’d have if your “inclusive” dream came true? Zero.’
Gaines later doubled down, sharing a clip of Biles testifying before Senate about the abuse suffered at the hands of the former team doctor. Alongside it, she posted a screengrab of Biles’ tweet.
‘Simone Biles when she had to endure a predatory man Vs Simone Biles when other girls have to endure predatory men,’ she wrote.
Nassar was a leading doctor at Michigan State and with USA Gymnastics, but used his position within those organizations to sexually abuse young women under the guise of treatment at the now-closed Karolyi Ranch National Team Training Center in Huntsville, Texas.
Gaines responded to the gymnastic legend by referring to pedophile doctor Larry Nassar
The former swimmer later shared a clip of Biles’ testimony to Senate on the abuseÂ
Former Team USA doctor Nassar used his position to sexually abuse young women
He was sentenced in federal court in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material. The following year, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years and up to 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts under his care.
Biles publicly broke her silence in January 2018, revealing in a powerful tweet that she was one of Nassar’s victims. In 2019, Biles revealed that the trauma of the assaults had left her struggling with suicidal thoughts.
The gymnast has offered no further comment other than to retweet her original post calling Gaines ‘sick’.
The issue of trans athletes in sports has been a bigger talking point in the US this week with the Minnesota high school team reaching the state championships.
Rothenberger is biologically male. At nine, Rothenberger’s mother applied in district court to alter her child’s birth certificate after their ninth birthday, with the petition being approved, per Reduxx.
Rothenberger was issued a new birth certificate showing to be born female, switching their name from ‘Charlie Dean’ to Marissa.
