"Sorry, Riley, you don't get one"- Riley Gaines opens up on moments after tie with Lia Thomas in the 200Y Freestyle

Riley Gaines recently appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast - the Joe Rogan Experience. During the podcast, the 23-year-old claimed she was treated unfairly in the aftermath of the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Both Gaines and Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete, were tied for the fifth position in the 200m freestyle event as they both registered a run time of 1:43.40. However, Thomas was handed the fifth place trophy while Gaines had to settle for sixth place. This deeply hurt the University Of Kentucky swimmer's sentiments.

During the podcast which was released on Thursday, March 7 Gaines recalled the experience and said:

"We get out of the water and we go behind the auditorium. The official looks at both myself and Thomas who is towering over me, 6.4. And this official looks at both of us and says "Great job, you two but you tied and we have only one trophy so we are going to give it to Lia. Sorry, Riley, you didn't get one."

Gaines said she went on to question the official about Title 9 of the US Law, which prohibits any sort of discrimination based on sex in any school or university. She claimed the official responded:

"We have been advised as an organization, that when photos are being taken, that it's crucial that the trophy is in Lia's hands."

Since then, Riley Gaines has been extremely critical of the participation of transgenders in women's sports and has repeatedly raised her voice on the issue through her social media handles.

Riley Gaines shows support for the new bill passed by the Tennessee House

The Tennessee House passed a bill recently that will make it mandatory for the police and the sheriff departments to inform federal authorities after arresting an illegal immigrant. Earlier, the police had the option to choose whether they would inform or not.

Riley Gaines showed support for the advancement of the bill and has appreciated the House for passing the bill. She wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“Good 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼.”

The bill was passed by the House on February 6 and was majorly backed by the Republicans. Rusty Grills, one of the members of the Republican Party said during the session:

"This bill would clarify that all law enforcement including police and sheriff's departments would be required to fully cooperate and communicate with the Department of Homeland Security.”

However, the bill has also received heavy criticism from some sections of society especially the Democrats.