Olympic legend Simone Biles says Riley Gaines looks like a man in furious attack on anti-trans commentator

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

has launched a scathing attack on Riley Gaines, comparing her to a man after the former swimmer criticized a Minnesota high school softball team for competing with a trans player.
Gaines, 25, has forged a career as a political commentator following her time as a swimmer, where she competed against trans athlete Lia Thomas.
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's 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.'
Critical: Biles attacked Gaines on X on Friday night after her latest remarks 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".'
Sage Steele, the former ESPN reporter who has also been a vocal critic of trans athletes, backed Gaines up with a fiery tweet of her own.
She wrote: 'Easy to say this Biles when you only had to compete against fellow women. Every one of your Olympic medals came competing against fellow women.
'Riley Gaines was not only forced to compete against a man, but forced to share a locker room with a man. That is sick. Shocked and disappointed that you'd attack another woman who has done nothing but uplift other women.
'If you think it makes sense to create a league for trans people, go for it! Use that huge platform of yours! But to attack Riley for what she has done for little girls who want to be the next Simone Biles is……..sick.'
Biles also gave a savage reply to a Trump voter that wrote back to her: 'Simone, there is a reason they have rings in men's gymnastics, and not women's. Male athletes have a biological advantage over female athletes. That will never changes.'
Biles wrote back: 'Can you even read? I see we are lacking comprehension skills as well…..'
The gymnast has offered no further comment other than to retweet her original post calling Gaines 'sick'.
It came as Gaines also referenced the horrific abuse Biles and other gymnasts suffered at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar in her comments.
'All the horrific sexual abuse 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,'she 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 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's tweet.
She wrote: 'Simone Biles when she had to endure a predatory man Vs Simone Biles when other girls have to endure predatory men.'
Gaines later clarified her position, insisting that she hopes Nassar 'spends the rest of his life rotting away and miserable in prison'.
She said that the gymnasts were 'failed by a system that protected an abusive man at the expense of the girls' safety.' However, she claimed that female athletes were equally being failed by the same system amid the gender row sweeping through sport.
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.
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.