Riley Gaines announces pregnancy with a baby girl while simultaneously delivering a pointed comeback to Simone Biles’ past criticism, turning a personal milestone into a powerful statement amidst their ongoing feud over transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Key Takeaways
- Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines announced she is 26 weeks pregnant with a baby girl at the Young Women’s Leadership Summit, using the moment to respond to Simone Biles’ criticism.
- MyKayla Skinner publicly supported Gaines while accusing Biles of “belittling, dismissing and ostracizing” her during their time as Olympic teammates.
- Biles had called Gaines “truly sick” and a “sore loser” for her stance against transgender athletes in women’s sports, but later apologized for her personal attacks.
- The controversy highlights the ongoing political debate about transgender participation in women’s athletics that continues to divide prominent female athletes.
- Despite the public feud, Gaines expressed that her focus is now on her journey to motherhood while remaining firm in her advocacy for women’s sports.
Pregnancy Announcement Amid Public Controversy
Conservative activist and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines turned what would typically be a purely joyous personal announcement into a pointed statement against her critics. At the Young Women’s Leadership Summit on June 14, Gaines revealed she is 26 weeks pregnant with her first child, a baby girl, while cleverly referencing the recent controversy with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. The timing of this announcement comes after Biles had publicly criticized Gaines for her outspoken opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, creating a media firestorm that has polarized the athletic community.
Gaines, who married Louis Barker in 2022, shared the news on her Instagram account with countryside photos featuring her husband and ultrasound images. She admitted the difficulty of keeping her pregnancy private, stating, “Oh my goodness, this has been the hardest secret in the world for me to keep,” Said Riley Gaines, former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist. The announcement seemed particularly meaningful given Gaines’ advocacy work, as she connected her upcoming role as a mother to her continued fight for what she describes as protecting women’s spaces in sports.
Olympic Gymnasts’ Clash Over Women’s Sports
The conflict between Gaines and Biles erupted when Biles harshly criticized Gaines for her stance on transgender athletes. Biles did not mince words in her attack, writing, “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 people feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!,” Said Simone Biles, Olympic gold medalist.
Biles even made what many interpreted as body-shaming comments, telling Gaines to “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” Olympic gymnastics champion.While Biles later apologized for getting personal in her criticism, the damage was done, and the controversy had already sparked a broader conversation about athlete conduct and respect within the sporting community. Gaines accepted the apology but has remained steadfast in her position against transgender athletes competing in women’s categories.
MyKayla Skinner’s Support and Allegations
Adding another layer to the controversy, former Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner came forward with serious allegations about Biles’ treatment of teammates. Skinner claimed she was “belittled, dismissed and ostracized” by Biles during their time together on the Olympic team, Said MyKayla Skinner, Olympic silver medalist. This public support for Gaines came with Skinner’s own account of feeling pressured to remain silent about her negative experiences with Biles, suggesting a pattern of behavior that extended beyond this single controversy.
Skinner framed her decision to speak up as a matter of principle, stating, “As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us — not diminish others. That’s why it’s deeply troubling to see Simone Biles publicly label a fellow female athlete a ‘sore loser’ — simply for expressing valid concerns about fairness in women’s sports,” Olympic gymnast. Her intervention has transformed what began as a debate about transgender athletes into a broader discussion about accountability and behavior among elite athletes.
Moving Forward With Purpose
Despite the public controversy, Gaines has made it clear that her focus is shifting toward her journey into motherhood while maintaining her advocacy work. Her pregnancy announcement, complete with the unveiling of her baby bump, served both as a celebration of new life and as a symbolic retort to Biles’ criticism. The timing and manner of her announcement suggest that Gaines remains unintimidated by her high-profile critics, even as she prepares for this significant life change.
The dispute between these prominent female athletes reflects the larger national conversation about transgender participation in sports—a debate that has intensified under President Trump’s administration. As Gaines prepares to welcome her daughter, she has positioned her advocacy as directly connected to her child’s future, implying that her work to maintain sex-based categories in sports is part of securing what she sees as fairness for the next generation of female athletes, including her own daughter.
