Gymnastics star Simone Biles has apparently taken down her account on X after a public relations debacle that began when she attacked former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines over her opposition to biological males in female sports.
The seven-time Olympic gold medalist’s account went dark last weekend, less than two weeks after Biles issued a public apology to Gaines for calling her “sick” and a “sore loser,” and suggesting she was the size of a man.
In her June 11 mea culpa, Biles said, “it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for” while defending the concepts of “competitive equity & inclusivity” in sports.
After Biles removed her account, which had 1.9 million followers, Gaines responded: “Sad to see such a phenom go down like this.”
OutKick founder Clay Travis commented: “It appears @simone_biles has deleted her Twitter account after she attacked @Riley_Gaines_, defended men in women’s sports, and issued a strangely worded apology written by her moronic PR team.”
- 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 was widely excoriated for her heated June 6 blast on X at Gaines, who became a prominent advocate for single-sex female sports after tying for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships.
“You’re truly sick, 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,” Biles wrote on X. “Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!”
Those defending Biles included USA Today columnist Nancy Armour, who ran an article headlined, “Biles shows her greatness again in standing up for transgender community.”
Biles turned down the temperature with her apology, but the flap reignited days later when her former Olympic teammate MyKayla Skinner said that she was “belittled, dismissed, and ostracized behind the scenes by Simone.”
Skinner also praised Gaines for her advocacy against male-born athletes in female sports.
“As an athlete who has dedicated years to a sport, I’ve always believed that true competition should elevate us — not diminish others,” said Skinner in a June 13 statement. “That’s why it’s deeply troubling to see @Simone_Biles publicly label a fellow female athlete a ‘sore loser’ — simply for expressing valid concerns about fairness in women’s sports.”
Biles, who is considered the greatest gymnast in Olympic history, has not responded to Skinner’s comments.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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