Simone Biles has decided to delete one of her social media accounts in the wake of her recent feud with former swimmer Riley Gaines.
Gaines, a former 12-time All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky, retired from competitive swimming in 2022 after she tied for fifth in an NCAA event with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Gaines has since become a full-time political activist who advocates for keeping biological men out of women’s sports.
Biles and Gaines began feuding earlier this month when Gaines was outspoken about transgender softball pitcher Marissa Rothenberger leading Champlin Park High School in Minnesota to a state championship. Biles responded by calling Gaines a “straight up sore loser” in a social media post.
“All of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up 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 safe 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 wrote on X, via Caitlin McCormack of the New York Post.
Fans then dug up a post from 2017 in which Biles mentioned how it is a good thing men do not compete in women’s gymnastics because men would take all the gold medals. Gaines highlighted the post, and Biles eventually issued an apology.
“I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” Biles wrote. “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.”
US Olympian Simone Biles publicly apologies after advocating for Men to be allowed in Women’s sports.
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) June 11, 2025
The tide is turning. pic.twitter.com/ILqPmtiC4b
It seems as though the backlash toward Biles has continued, as she decided to deactivate her X account over the weekend. Gaines called attention to the decision and attributed it to the fallout from Biles delivering an “incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible take.”
– has an incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible take
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 23, 2025
– gets rightfully ridiculed for it
– issues a groveling public apology after unrelenting backlash
– deletes account to pretend it never happened
Sad to see such a phenom go down like this https://t.co/AiYir3kRG5
Biles has won 11 Olympic medals (7 gold) and 30 World Championship medals, which makes her the most decorated gymnast in history.
Following a disappointing showing at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Biles dominated the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She won gold medals in the team, all-around and vault events, while capturing silver in the floor exercise.
Biles will be 31 at the time of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif., and she was recently asked whether she is planning to compete.
