

Riley Gaines, a prominent advocate for preserving women’s sports for biological females, has made a surprising admission about gymnast Simone Biles after a heated online dispute regarding transgender athletes.
Despite enduring what she describes as “visceral personal attacks,” Gaines revealed she is open to a potential partnership with the Olympic champion to address fairness in women’s sports.
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“Look, Simone is someone I’ve looked up to,” Gaines told TMZ. “I’ve respected for so long.
“She has done so much for women’s sports, of course, for the sport of gymnastics, but even broader than that for women in general.”
Gaines is a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and former University of Kentucky athlete who has opposed transwomen competing in female sports since she tied fifth with Lia Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle back in 2022.
Why are Biles and Gaines on hostile terms?
Simone is yet to respond to the suggestion following a high-profile exchange between the two athletes about transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. In that exchange, Biles compared Gaines‘ physique to that of a man, prompting sharp criticism.
Whilst for the 25-year-old right-wing personality, the issue was less about the personal nature of the artistic gymnast’s comments and more about the influence that she holds.
“Her stance felt so deeply visceral to me,” Gaines continued. “Not because of the personal attacks, but more so again because of how she used her platform.
“A platform where young girls all across the nation, young girls like my little sister, who’s a gymnast, look up to her.
“In the blink of an eye, she effectively pulled up the ladder behind her, and again, a way that was, I think, done in haste.
“I think there was a lot of ignorance to the issue when she issued her initial tweets on that Friday evening.”
Now hosting a podcast on OutKick, she has remained a vocal critic of policies she views as compromising fairness in women’s sports and her recent criticism of a Minnesota women’s softball team for including a transgender pitcher is what irked Biles.
The gymnast labeled Gaines‘ commentary as “truly sick” and added, “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be male.” The comment escalated tensions, prompting Gaines to invoke the abuse Biles endured under the former USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar.
Following a wave of online backlash from Gaines’ supporters, Biles issued an apology and Riley seemed open to making amends, before now trying to collaborate with the talented athlete.
“The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles,” Biles had wrote via social media. “Which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”
The potential for collaboration remains speculative, but if realized, it could mark a significant moment in the evolving national conversation over gender identity and fairness in sport, although the political direction remains unclear.
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