RILEY Gaines has claimed she would be open to working with Simone Biles, despite the pair having a public war of words on social media.
Biles and Gaines traded blows on X earlier this month in an online feud about the role of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
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Biles, 28, took issue with anti-trans remarks made by Gaines about a transgender softball player in response to a post by the Minnesota State High School League.
The seven-time Olympic gold medallist slammed Gaines as “truly sick” and accused her of being a “bully” for her comments.
While Gaines, 25, hit back by calling Biles “a truly sick bully by her own standard” after she made a personal dig at her body shape in one post.
Now Gaines has claimed that she would still work with Biles after the public spat, telling TMZ that she has long respected the Team USA star.
Gaines, who is a political activist and former competitive swimmer, said: “Absolutely [I would work with her], look, Simone is someone I’ve looked up to, I’ve respected for so long.
“She has done so much for women’s sports, of course, for the sport of gymnastics, but even broader than that for women in general.”
Adding: “Her stance felt so deeply visceral to me not because of the personal attacks, but more so again because of how she used her platform.
“A platform where young girls all across the nation, young girls like my little sister, who’s a gymnast, look up to her.”
The public exchange has played out to the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s administration’s attempts to push back against states which are permitting transgender athletes to compete in sports that align with their gender identity.
Gaines had claimed that Chaplin Park girl’s team turned the comments off an X post because the team featured a transgender player.
The team just won the Minnesota State High School Championship in softball.
Gaines wrote: “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy.”
Biles hit back by claiming Gaines was a “sore loser” and that her campaigning was because of a race result in 2022.
The gymnast said, “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up a 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 feel sage in sports.
“Maybe a transgender category in all sports, but instead you bully them. One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around.”
Biles later followed up, “Bully someone your own size, which ironically would be a male.”
The superstar Olympian later apologized for her personal outburst at Gaines, adding: “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges.
“And it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.
“These are sensitive, complicated issues that I truly don’t have the answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect.”
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