Riley Gaines says her gymnast sister now conflicted about admiration for Simone Biles after latter’s stance in trans participation debate

Riley Gaines recently revealed how her sister, Neely, reacted to the former's online clash with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles in an interview. Gaines and Biles have been engaged in a public debate over the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports after Gaines passed a comment on a transgender Minnesota High School softball player, sparking a reaction from Simone Biles.

Riley Gaines is a former competitive swimmer who competed for the University of Kentucky at the NCAA Championships. In 2022, she tied for fifth place with openly transgender athlete Lia Thomas at the NCAA Championships, however, the latter was awarded the fifth-place trophy. This prompted Gaines to become one of the more prominent advocates against the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports.

Her recent clash with Simone Biles started when she referred to Marissa Rothenberger, the Minnesota High softball player, as a boy. Biles responded to Gaines, calling her "sick" and a "sore loser". She also told Gaines to "bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male", a comment which she later apologized for.

In an interview on Fox News, Gaines recalled how her sister Neely reacted to the news. Giles said:

"People like my younger sister. My younger sister is 16 years old, she's jacked, she's a gymnast, the best of the best, and she will go on to do amazing things in her collegiate career and beyond. We work out together on Saturday mornings before she goes to gymnastics practice, which speaks to her dedication."

"She showed up on Saturday morning, almost in tears, saying "Riley, I admire you so much, you're my sister, but also as a gymnast I've admired Simone for so long because I thought you guys were on the same team. I'm realising that's not the case and if I have to choose one role model it's not going to be Simone.""

Riley Gaines later accepted Biles' apology after the gymnast's remarks on her body during their online feud.

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Riley Gaines' sister is an elite-level gymnast

Riley Gaines is a prominent conservative political activist - Source: Getty

Riley Gaines' sister, Neely, is an elite-level gymnast and has often received praise from Riley for her athletic prowess. In 2023, Riley took to Instagram to share a message for her sister after she won the Tennessee state all-around gymnastics championship. She wrote:

"My little sister is the all-around gymnastics TN state champ!🏆 Next recruit for @ukgymnastics 😼 love you so much!"

Gaines also tagged the University of Kentucky in the post, hinting that Neely could be on her way to join them for her collegiate career.