"Why y'all soooo scared" - Simone Biles slams back after receiving online criticism over her and Riley Gaines' feud 

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Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles has responded to the criticism over the feud between her and swimmer turned social activist Riley Gaines. Biles had been involved in an altercation with Gaines last month over the participation of trans athletes in women's sports.

The seven-time Olympic gold medallist had previously shared a tweet on her X account, urging critics to post from their real accounts. Biles' post [which is now deleted] read,

"If you're gonna say it, SAY IT ON YOUR REAL ACCOUNT!"

The 28-year-old later reshared the post on her Instagram story with the following caption,

"Point, Blank, Period! Because why y'all soooo scared"
Screengrab of  Biles' Instagram story on Riley Gaines [Image Source: Simone Biles' Instagram]Screengrab of Biles' Instagram story on Riley Gaines [Image Source: Simone Biles' Instagram]

For the unversed, Simone Biles had responded to Riley Gaines over the latter's statement against the alleged participation of a trans athlete in the girls' softball team from the Champlin Park High School in June 2025. The Olympic champion also took a jibe at Gaines as she posted on her X account,

"bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_"

However, the post received severe criticism from a section of social media. Simone Biles later apologized for her statement and temporarily disabled her X account.


Simone Biles apologized for her statement against Riley Gaines

 Getty]Biles opens up on her statement against Riley Gaines [Image Source: Getty]

Simone Biles opened up about her thoughts on her statement against Riley Gaines. Following the backlash over her posts, the Olympic champion had issued a public apology to the 25-year-old former swimmer.

Biles mentioned in her long post on her X account that she shouldn't have gone personal in her criticism against Gaines. She wrote,

"I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. 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."

The 11-time Olympic medallist further added in her post,

"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. I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful."

Riley Gaines responded positively to the apology and hoped that Biles would one day wholeheartedly support her stance on women's sports.

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About the author

Animesh Pandey

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee

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