The storm surrounding Simone Biles isn’t just about gymnastics anymore—it’s about a collision of past beliefs, present politics, and an internet that never forgets.
The Olympic champion, revered globally for her gravity-defying routines and mental resilience, found herself at the center of a growing controversy this week after reigniting a spat with former NCAA swimmer and outspoken women's sports advocate Riley Gaines. What started as a heated exchange over transgender athletes competing in female sports quickly escalated into personal attacks, a resurfaced tweet from Biles, and a full-blown culture war moment.
ahhhh good thing guys don't compete against girls or he'd take all the gold medals !! 🥇 https://t.co/gto13RzC8Y
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) October 12, 2017
It all began when Gaines, host of the “Gaines for Girls” podcast and a key voice in preserving women’s sports spaces, called out a high school softball scenario in Minnesota where a biologically male student led a girls’ team to a state title. Biles, in response, didn’t hold back. Labeling Gaines “a truly sick bully,” she accused her of fearmongering, bigotry, and being a sore loser. Her tweet came with suggestions for “transgender categories in all sports” and claimed that “no one in sports is safe” while Gaines is around.
But then came the twist.
As often happens in the digital age, old tweets emerged from the vault—and one from 2017 hit like a vault landing gone wrong. “Ahhhh good thing guys don’t compete against girls or he’d take all the gold medals!!” Biles had posted, apparently referring to Chinese gymnast Xio Ruoteng’s win in the men’s all-around competition that year. The post had initially gone under the radar, but the context and tone struck many as unmistakably clear: 2017 Simone Biles recognized the biological difference in competitive outcomes between male and female athletes.
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? https://t.co/aQjKuNSmMh
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 8, 2025
Gaines didn’t waste a second. Sharing the post with her audience, she asked the question many were already thinking: how does Biles reconcile the obvious contradiction between her past comment and her current advocacy? Her jab was direct: “Don’t you hate it when your past self completely undermines your current nonsensical argument?”
As if things weren’t tense enough, the conflict took an even more personal turn. Biles, instead of doubling down on her stance or addressing the resurfaced tweet, fired back with an insult aimed at Gaines’ size, saying she should “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025
The backlash was swift. Critics from across the spectrum questioned Biles’ resort to personal insults and her silence on her own words from the past. Supporters of Gaines pointed out the hypocrisy, noting that Biles herself once acknowledged the very advantage she now says shouldn’t disqualify biological males from female categories.