Where do you stand on the Simone Biles vs. Riley Gaines showdown? The Olympic gymnastics icon and the former NCAA swimmer are locked in a heated back-and-forth after Gaines criticized the Minnesota State High School League for removing her post about Champlin Park High School’s state title win, featuring a trans athlete. Biles clapped back, hitting a personal note, and things quickly spiraled. Now, Chael Sonnen has jumped in with his take, adding fuel to the fire.
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simon Biles caught up in the centre of controversy when she clashed online with former NCAA swimming standout Riley Gaines over the transgender athlete debate in women’s sports. Gaines has been a huge supporter of all girls’ sports without the inclusion of any trans athlete.
So, what was the spark for their back-and-forth? It all started when Gaines took to her social media handle to criticize the Minnesota State High School League. Gaines’ comments forced the Minnesota State High School to turn off the comments on the post.
Simone Biles wasn’t having it. She fired back with a scathing post aimed directly at Gaines, calling her stance “truly sick” and accusing her of harboring resentment over past defeats. In response, Gaines hit back hard by reposting one of Biles’ own statements from 2017, where Biles had also expressed support for the idea that girls should compete in girls’ sports.
“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?” wrote Gaines on her X. Responding to the back-and-forth between these swimmers, Chael Sonnen reposted these words by Gaines and wrote, “Riley is on FIRE.”
Riley is on FIRE https://t.co/mEJ7XlOhCc
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) June 8, 2025
The fiery exchange instantly lit up social media, adding yet another layer to the polarizing debate that continues to divide the world of competitive sports. As Sonnen voiced his stance on the matter, another athlete came forward—this time, in support of Biles.
Male gymnast defends Simon Biles against Riley Gaines
Riley Gaines has been advocating for sports to be exclusively for girls, without the inclusion of transgender athletes. She parlayed a fifth-place tie with a transgender swimmer in college into a career focused on opposing the participation of trans women in women’s sports. Well, amidst this debate between these two, one idea was that Biles would lose her premium swimmer tag if she competed against any male athlete.
This comparison did not sit well with Sam Phillips, a gymnast at the University of Illinois, who is openly gay. The athlete stated that Biles would even dominate male gymnasts. “This whole fight between Riley and Simone is NULL & VOID because the basis of the right’s attack is that she would lose medals in the men’s gym category when in reality, she would actually STEAL GOLDS from LOTS of the best Male floor and vault workers. So their base is FLAWED.”
Well, the back-and-forth between these swimming stars is still heating up, and we might see more support pouring in for either side.
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