Simone Biles apologises for heated exchange with Riley Gaines over trans athlete participation
Two-time Olympic all-around champion Simone Biles has apologised for getting personal in a heated online exchange with former collegiate swimmer turned anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines.
Biles, an 11-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated gymnast of all time, initially responded to a post by Gaines on the social media platform X after Gaines called a player on a Minnesota high school softball team 'a boy.' Biles wrote that Gaines was 'truly sick' and a 'straight up sore loser,' comments Biles later retracted.
ALSO READ: 'Serial winner' Duplantis dominates pole vault at Oslo Diamond League
Biles wrote that the current system in sports doesn't adequately address the balance between competitive equity and inclusivity, and the discussion of the topic can lead to 'frustration and heated exchanges.'
'It didn't help for me to get personal with Riley,' Biles wrote.
Biles clarified that her main objection was that Gaines opted to single out an underage athlete when that athlete has no control over what Biles called a 'flawed system.'
'I believe sports organisations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition,' Biles posted. 'We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
MLC 2025: Chaos in MINY vs TKS as Trent Boult departs in comical fashion; watch video
Major League Cricket had a record-setting start on Thursday courtesy Finn Allen's 51-ball 151 runs. A day later, the thrill factor remained as Texas Super Kings beat MI New York with edge-of-the-seat stuff at the Oakland Coliseum. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now MI New York, chasing a target of 186, seemed on the brink of defeat multiple times. They staged a fierce comeback, lost momentum again, found their footing, but ultimately fell just three runs short. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Daryll Mitchell bowled the decisive final over as MINY needed nine runs to win and eight to force a Super Over. Mitchell's precise yorkers and slower balls kept the ninth-wicket pair of Tajinder Singh and Naveen-ul-Haq to only five runs. Besides Mitchell, MINY's own mistakes led to their downfall with three run outs in the space of 11 balls with , Monank Patel and going back one after another. Boult's run created plenty of laughs for its comical factor as he and Tajinder Dhillon got their communication wrong while trying to steal a two. On the third of the 19th over, Adam Milne bowled a back of a length delivery to Dhillon who played it past short third man where it was collected by Mohsin. But in the process of trying to snatch a quick double, Boult lost his bat at the striker's end. Subsequently, a yes and no situation meant they were never confirmed for a second run. By the time the throw arrived at the striker's end, Boult was off the crease and desperately tried to scramble back, to no avail. That was one of the key moments late in the contest as MINY needed 27 runs from 20 balls and were primed to beat TSK. The chase itself got off to a rocky start for MI New York, slumping to 32/3 after the powerplay. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While 186 wasn't a massive total, losing key Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, and Agni Chopra so early was a serious setback, thanks to the bowling of Adam Milne and Noor Ahmad. To rebuild the innings, Monank Patel at No. 3 and Michael Bracewell, formerly the team's standout bowler, took charge. They first focused on stabilising the innings. Between Pooran's dismissal and the end of the seventh over, only one boundary—a four from Bracewell—was scored. Then came a burst of scoring, with sets of 11, 16, 15, 14, and 17 runs in five consecutive overs, leveling the game with 76 needed from 48 balls. By this point, Monank had reached his half-century off 33 balls, and Bracewell seemed poised to join him. However, the reintroduction of Milne brought a pivotal moment, but it was really Faf du Plessis who grabbed the spotlight by taking a spectacular one-handed catch at wide mid-off to dismiss Bracewell. MLC: Venky Harinarayan on growing cricket in the USA, AI-driven teams and the Olympic boost While that was notable, the true turning point came a few overs later. Kieron Pollard, who had scored an aggressive 38 and was replaced as captain by Pooran, launched 4, 6, 4, and 4 off the gentle pace of Mitchell, narrowing the target to 27 needed from 20 balls. Then came Mitchell's lightning quick throw after a sprint to midwicket, running out Pollard and Monank on successive deliveries. That shift dramatically swung momentum towards Texas Super Kings. In the final overs, just three fours were scored, two more wickets fell, and Mitchell's last over, which could have ended the game with one big hit, conceded a mere three runs plus a bye and a leg-bye. Earlier, Texas Super Kings looked unlikely to reach a competitive total until midway through their innings. Devon Conway was steady on 36 runs but had taken 26 deliveries, and three wickets had fallen at the other end. By the 12th over, five wickets were down, and Conway was still only on 38 runs from 28 balls. T hen things changed rapidly. Calvin Savage, a former South Africa Under-19 player now representing the USA, joined Conway and began to assert himself with the bat. The 13th over started with a four from Savage off Bracewell, who had already taken two of the five wickets fallen, and Conway followed up with his fourth six two balls later. The pace was controlled but effective, pushing Super Kings to 140 by the 16th over. Sixes came easier than fours as Conway and Savage launched several powerful shots. Their partnership amassed 79 before Conway, who reached his half-century off 35 balls, was unfortunate to be run out for 66 off 44 balls. Savage reached his fifty unbeaten from 34 balls as the innings closed, the two combining to smash nine sixes in total. Super Kings totaled 110 runs in boundaries, while MI New York matched with 114. Both teams had a dot-ball rate of 33%, highlighting how evenly matched the contest was, with the final outcome decided by composure and clutch moments.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
Shooting World Cup: Suruchi enters 10m air pistol final
Suruchi Inder Singh stormed into the final of 10m Air Pistol women at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup (rifle/pistol), while Paris Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker missed out to make the cut here on Friday. Suruchi scored 588 with 20 inner 10s to be placed second in the qualification, behind Yao Qianxun of China, who topped the qualification chart with Qualification World Record Junior of 589 - 21x. Meanwhile, Manu failed to make the final after finishing 25th after shooting 574 - 14x, while another Indian in the fray, Palak, finished 36th with 570 - 18x. Interestingly, Suruchi had pipped Manu in the women's 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 Lima in Peru to win the gold in April this year. Suruchi shot a total of 243.6 in the final to beat compatriot Manu, a two-time Olympic medallist who shot 242.3 to grab the silver. This was Suruchi's second successive gold in the women's 10m air pistol event at ISSF World Cups this year. The 19-year-old from Jhajjar in Haryana won the gold medal in Buenos Aires in early April to mark her maiden podium finish at a senior World Cup. Meanwhile, Manu's silver medal in Peru was her first since striking a double bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She had returned empty-handed from Buenos Aires. However, in Munich, another Indian, Sainyam, who was competing for the Ranking Points Only (RPO) shot 580 - 23x. Earlier, double Paris Olympics bronze medallist Manu finished sixth in the women's 25m pistol final. Olympian Elavenil Valarivan had opened India's medal count after winning bronze in the women's 10m air rifle on Day One. Then, Indian shooting sensation Sift Kaur Samra added yet another accolade to her growing list of international achievements, securing a bronze medal in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event
India Gazette
4 hours ago
- India Gazette
Suruchi Singh clinches gold in women's 10m air pistol at ISSF World Cup in Munich
Munich [Germany], June 14 (ANI): Indian shooter Suruchi Singh clinched the gold medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2025, held in Munich, Germany, on Friday. The victory in Munich marked Suruchi's continued dominance in this year's ISSF World Cup series, having already secured top podium finishes in the Buenos Aires and Lima legs, according to The 19-year-old Indian shooter shot a total of 241.9 in the final, edging out France's Camille Jedrzejewski (241.7) in a nail-biting finish. The People's Republic of China's Qianxun Yao took bronze with 221.7. Suruchi, who won seven gold medals in the shooting nationals in New Delhi last year, was second at one stage with a score of 162.3, trailing Qianxun Yao by 0.4 points, said. However, Qianxun Yao dropped out of the top two after three successive shots below 10. According to the Indian was then overtaken by Jedrzejewski, but a composed 10.5 in the decisive stages gave Suruchi the edge. For Jedrzejewski, her penultimate shot of 9.5 proved to be costly. Earlier in the qualification round, Suruchi placed second with a score of 588. Two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker finished 25th with a score of 574 and did not qualify for the final. Sainyam, competing for Ranking Points Only (RPO), was fifth with a total of 580. Asian Games champion Palak Gulia ranked 36th after shooting 570, while Simranpreet Kaur Brar (568) was 51st. Suruchi Singh's gold was India's third medal in Munich. Sift Kaur Samra and Elavenil Valarivan had won bronze medals in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions and 10m air rifle events, respectively. Meanwhile, no Indian made it to the final of the men's 25m rapid fire pistol event on Friday, with Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh Singh, Vijayveer Sidhu, Ankur Goel and Gurmeet failing to make the top eight in the qualifiers. Anish Bhanwala, with a score of 581, was the best-placed Indian at 18th. The Munich leg is the third ISSF World Cup of the season for rifle and pistol shooters. Indian shooters have made a strong start to the year, winning eight medals - including four gold - in Buenos Aires, followed by seven in Lima. Close to 700 shooters from 78 nations are competing in Munich. (ANI)
