On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld protections for women's sports against transgender athlete policies, and within hours Riley Gaines had a message for the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history. "Let this be a clarion call, not just to Simone, but to every, I think especially elite female athlete, professional female athlete," Gaines said. "Let it be known that you also think young girls are worthy of calling themselves champions one day."
Simone Biles has never lost a competition to a biological male. Riley Gaines has. That distinction matters more than any medal count.
The clash between the two athletes has been building since last year, when Biles went after Gaines on social media over her advocacy for women's sports. Biles caught enough backlash that she issued a public apology on June 10, 2025, insisting she was not "advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports." But the damage was done, and the lines were drawn — the most famous female athlete in the world had publicly positioned herself against the woman doing the most to protect female athletes.
Former Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner, who competed alongside Biles on Team USA, broke ranks to side with Gaines. "Just being able to try to find my voice and how I could use my voice after Simone had come out against Riley, it had really affected me," Skinner said in an interview reported by American Wire News. "I have a little daughter, and we are hoping to put her in sports soon."
Skinner didn't trash Biles. She invited her in. "I think it would just be really cool to see Simone stand with us," Skinner said. "To be able to see her as my teammate, as an Olympian, as an amazing athlete that she is, to be able to stand with us." When asked if she believed Biles could come around, Skinner didn't hesitate. "One hundred percent yes. I've known Simone since I was 13 years old, and we've had our moments."
Gaines, for her part, wasn't taking a victory lap after the Supreme Court ruling. "I feel, of course, excited; I feel optimistic about the future," she said. "But I think the feeling that I feel the most of is vindicated." That word carries weight from someone who stood at a podium and watched a trophy handed to a competitor with every biological advantage nature could provide.
The standard response from Biles's corner is that she apologized, she clarified her position, and she never explicitly supported men competing in women's sports. Fine. But her original attack on Gaines landed in the middle of the biggest fight in women's athletics, aimed directly at the woman leading it. An apology that says "I wasn't advocating for those policies" doesn't answer why she went after the person fighting against them.
What makes this exchange revealing isn't the disagreement — it's the credibility gap. Gaines competed against Lia Thomas. She stood on a podium and experienced what happens when the rules fail women. Biles competed in gymnastics, a sport that hasn't faced a high-profile transgender athlete controversy. Her opposition to Gaines was theoretical. Gaines's advocacy is autobiographical.
Skinner framed it in the simplest terms possible. "Being a mom, I look at her, and I think of the country and the world that I want her to inherit," Gaines said. "It's a more fair, more safe, more prosperous, more opportunistic world, country." Elite female athletes like Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Serena Williams have been conspicuously quiet on the issue. Gaines has been asking them to speak up. Tuesday's ruling gave them a reason.
Biles has the platform. Gaines has the receipts. One of them had to compete against a biological male to understand why it matters. The other one still hasn't.