Latest news with #WorldArtisticGymnasticsChampionships
Sky News AU
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Sky News AU
Ex-NASCAR driver Danica Patrick weighs in on Riley Gaines and Simone Biles' social media feud over trans athletes
Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick proudly confessed to taking the 'red pill' as the racing star publicly backed political activist Riley Gaines in her ongoing feud with decorated Olympian Simone Biles over transgender athletes competing in women's sports. 'This issue has a shelf life. I truly believe common sense will prevail,' Patrick, 43, said on Instagram Sunday. 'But until then, I am grateful for people like Riley Gaines who are making sure no one gets away with it. Not to mention the fact that she actually lived it.' 'Defending men in women's sports is the woke mind virus and/or another issue that requires therapy. Either way, it is so irrational,' she added. Patrick's comments are the latest in an ongoing war of words between anti-trans activist and former University of Kentucky swimmer Gaines and Olympic gymnast Biles that broke out Friday – a spat that has seen cheap shots taken by both sides. The sparring began when Biles targeted Gaines with a seemingly unprompted tweet amid controversy over a Minnesota trans high-school softball pitcher's shutout in the state finals Thursday that helped secure the championship. '@Riley_Gaines_ You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,' 28-year-old Biles tweeted, referencing Gaines' tie during a race with trans University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championship. '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!!' Biles wrote. 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,' she later added. Gaines, 25, fired back. '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,' Gaines said. Gaines alluded to Biles' efforts to take down former Team USA gymnastics doctor and prolific sex criminal Larry Nassar. 'All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet [she] believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings,' Gaines wrote in another tweet. Gaines also unearthed an old comment of Biles and used it against her in the widening dispute. 'ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals !!' Biles wrote in the 2017 tweet, apparently responding to the men's division results at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 'Oop don't you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?' Gaines wrote sarcastically, retweeting Biles' post. 'How has 2025 Simone reconciled with the fact 2017 Simone was a 'truly sick bully' by her own standard?' Patrick's position comes after she announced she would be voting for President Trump in the last election. Last October, at a campaign event with now Vice President JD Vance Patrick announced that she would be voting for the first time at the age 42. 'I just want to say I've never voted before, but this time around, I have to vote,' Patrick said, sharing the stage with Vance. 'It's that important.' She said she would be voting for 'the good guys.' 'I just want to be clear, I want to get on record — you're voting for us, right?' Vance then asked. '1,000%,' Patrick replied, joking that if she 'could vote twice,' she would. Patrick retired in 2018 after the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. Originally published as Ex-NASCAR driver Danica Patrick weighs in on Riley Gaines and Simone Biles' social media feud over trans athletes
Toronto Sun
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Online feud between Simone Biles and Riley Gaines takes turn with gymnast's 2017 post resurfacing
'ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals !!' the legendary U.S. gymnast wrote in tweet. U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles (left) and Riley Gaines. Getty Images, AP Photo The online war of words between Simone Biles and Riley Gaines exploded over the weekend, with the conservative critic reaching way back and throwing some heat at the gymnastics legend. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In the midst of her ongoing feud over transgender athletes with the U.S. Olympic legend, Gaines apparently did some online digging, finding and reposting a tweet from 2017. The post appeared to agree with Gaines' side of the argument that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in women's sports. 'ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals !!' Biles wrote in the 2017 tweet, which apparently was in response to the men's division results at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The original tweet that Biles had been responding to has since been deleted. Gaines, former collegiate swimmer who tied for fifth with transgender athlete Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships, also commented on Biles' post while calling out the gymnast as a hypocrite. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Oop don't you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument? How has 2025 Simone reconciled with the fact 2017 Simone was a 'truly sick bully' by her own standard? — Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 8, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Oop don't you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?' Gaines wrote on X. 'How has 2025 Simone reconciled with the fact 2017 Simone was a 'truly sick bully' by her own standard?' Biles had referred to Gaines as a 'sick bully' for her anti-trans stance last week. The online beef between the women on Thursday, when Biles, 28, took aim at Gaines, 25, after a trans high-school softball pitcher helped win the Minnesota state championship and went viral. '@Riley_Gaines_ You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,' Biles tweeted, referencing Gaines' tie with Thomas. '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!!' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. @Riley_Gaines_ 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… — Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,' she added later. Gaines responded to Biles' comments, calling them 'disappointing' and standing behind her opinion. '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,' she wrote. '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.' Read More But that's when Gaines seriously turned up the heat, bringing up Biles' battle against disgraced U.S. gymnastics doctor and prolific sex criminal Larry Nassar. 'All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_Biles witnessed and spoke out against caused by one man, yet (she) believes women should be forced to strip naked in front of men to validate the man's feelings,' Gaines wrote. All the horrific sexual abuse @Simone_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. You know how many gold medals you'd have if your "inclusive" dream came true? Zero. — Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 7, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'You know how many gold medals you'd have if your 'inclusive' dream came true? Zero.' Biles was involved in taking down Nassar, who is serving up to 175 years in prison for molesting her and hundreds of other female gymnasts. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Olympics Canada Sunshine Girls Ontario Golf
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Riley Gaines' clever replies make us doubt it's really Simon Biles writing those trans-extremist posts
Simone Biles is a tremendously gifted athlete who's had to overcome horrific challenges including sexual abuse, so it was beyond sad to see her social-media accounts going after Riley Gaines as a 'bully' for not 'uplifting the trans community' but instead calling to get biological males out of female sports. Let's be cautious here: Famous folks aren't always the only (or even the main) people writing the posts under their names. More: All too many of us have tweeted in haste words we don't really believe. Crucially, as Gaines has now noted, Biles' latest comments on X actually contradict some of her past tweets. To recap: The contretemps began after Gaines slammed a trans athlete's dominance in Minnesota high school softball. The Biles account called Gaines 'truly sick' for doing 'all of this campaigning because you lost a race' — pretending Gaines simply resents finishing behind another swimmer who just happened to be trans. Gaines of course has a lot more reason for her crusade, reasons she has reviewed in her replies to 'Biles.' The obscenity of forcing girls to share locker rooms and showers with boys who present themselves as female, for one. For another: Extensive scientific evidence shows that (on average) people who grow up with testosterone in their systems have huge advantages over those who don't in strength (especially upper-body strength) and other traits that are core to athletic competition. On that front, she's now cited Biles' post soon after the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: 'ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals !!' she wrote in apparent reference to the performance of Xio Ruoteng in the men's individual all-around. Indeed, other commenters have shared video of not-at-all-famous male gymnasts duplicating Biles' own gold-winning routines with apparent ease. None of this should detract in the least from Simone Biles' achievements; she's still a GOAT who certainly has no need to seek more notoriety by punching down at Riley Gaines to win pathetic points with progressives.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Simone Biles' social media post ‘good thing guys don't compete against girls' resurfaces as Riley Gaines feud takes a twist
Riley Gaines and Simone Biles' feud took a new twist on Sunday as an old social media post from the Olympic gymnast came to light. Biles, in a 2017 post, appeared to be thankful that men don't compete in women's gymnastics. 'ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals !!' she wrote in October 2017. Biles' post came days after the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships finished in in Canada. Biles did not participate but American females Morgan Hurd and Jade Carey both medaled. Hurd won gold in the individual all-around. China's Xio Ruoteng won gold in the men's individual all-around. Gaines, who hosts the 'Gaines for Girls' podcast on OutKick, fired off her own reaction. 'Oop don't you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?' Gaines wrote on X. 'How has 2025 Simone reconciled with the fact 2017 Simone was a 'truly sick bully' by her own standard?' 4 An old social media post from Olympic gymnast Simone Biles resurfaced amidst her feud with Riley Gaines over transgender athletes. Getty Images 4 Gaines hosts the 'Gaines for Girls' podcast on OutKick, and has been outspoken about transgender athletes competing in women's sports. Independent Women's Forum The back and forth started on Friday as Biles, seemingly out of the blue, fired off a post on X aimed at Gaines amid the uproar over a transgender athlete's dominance in Minnesota high school softball. '@Riley_Gaines_ You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,' Biles wrote. '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!!!!!' 4 'Oop don't you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?' Gaines wrote on X in response to the 2017 post. Getty Images 4 Simone Biles poses with the bronze medal during the Women's Balance Beam Final medal ceremony on day eleven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Getty Images Biles then added: 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_' The post drew fierce backlash over the last few days.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Jessica Gadirova to return with twin Jennifer set for same surgery
British Gymnastics ChampionshipsVenue: M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool Date: 20-23 MarchCoverage: 22 March - 14:35-17:35, All-Around Finals on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app; 23 March - 11:20-16:20, Apparatus Finals on Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app. Olympian Jessica Gadirova's excitement at returing to competition this weekend is tinged with sadness as she knows her twin sister is about to start the same gruelling rehabilitation she has just will have surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament damage on Wednesday, just days after Jessica makes her comeback from the same injury at the British Championships in Liverpool."To know that she is going through what I have for the last year and a half, takes a toll and hurts my heart," Jessica told BBC Sport."I feel like I'm competing for her as well. I am giving her the opportunity to see that you can come back from any injury, no matter how long the process is."European all-around champion Jessica, who suffered her ACL injury in "a freak accident" at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, has endured "a very long process" to re-build her strength and fitness over time as "there is no quick fix"."I am a little bit nervous to compete because it has been a little while since I've been in an arena, but competing is what I love to do so it gives me excitement at the same time."We took it nice and slow to make sure it was done right. It was difficult in the moments when something that used to be so easy was becoming really hard. For example, just lifting my heel off the floor."That was such a great challenge. But as time went on, I fought through that feeling of giving up or not doing the small details in the rehab, and it got easier."Jessica will however only be competing on bars and beam with basic dismounts as she works towards returning to all four apparatus by the end of the now hopes to be able to repay her sister for the support and help she received when the roles are reversed following Jennifer's surgery."I think destiny was like 'no you are staying as twins no matter what'," Jessica joked about the mirroring of their injuries."I felt like I was going in to it a little bit blind and so did my team, but Jen totally knows what the journey looks like now and can see that you can come back and be stronger."Jennifer said: "Not many people can say they have had this injury, so it's a unique story that we have both done it. "We both want to be there in LA for the 2028 Olympics and be as fit and strong as we physically can be."We want to do as many competitions as we can in this cycle to build our skills and to get us back out there as twins on the big stage." Who else should I look out for? Jake Jarman, who won Olympic floor bronze at Paris 2024, took to the podium five times at last year's British Championships and will be hoping to repeat the same feat this time from his success at the Games, Harry Hepworth will bid to retain his British rings title and Courtney Tulloch will hope to continue his strong track record at this Championship in the all-around and apparatus finals.
