“She made a name for himself on our backs!” Riley Gaines fires back at claims of using rival Lia Thomas’ name for media benefit

Prominent swimmer Riley Gaines has reached new heights this year. A lot of this has been due to her fight for women’s safety as a women’s advocate. Her tie with rival Lia Thomas has been the major reason for it, according to a report.

A media house claimed that Gaines used the name of Thomas, a transgender swimmer, to gain media attention. Since their swimming race at the NCAA, the Kentucky swimmer has slammed Thomas and the authorities for competing with female athletes.

Media Matters For American, an US non-profit organization, attacked Riley Gaines and claimed that she has been using the name of her rival to gain further popularity. In their headline, the company made some bold claims.

Over a year after her last race against Lia Thomas, Riley Gaines has built a media career on the trans swimmer’s name.

Riley Gaines, who is super active on social media would not let this slide by. She would take to her X account and fire back at the report, claiming that Thomas was the one who made a name for himself. Gaines would refer to Thomas as a male instead of using her trans pronouns.

No… Lia Thomas made a name for himself on our backs. The backs of girls and women… (Riley Gaines through X)

Riley Gaines attvcks trans swimmer following Lia Thomas’ footsteps

One of the talking points in sporting events this year has been the inclusion of transgender athletes. Several educational institutions across the United States of America have taken steps to curb the “biological advantage” factor. There are, though, some places where these rules have not been discussed.

In the latest chapter of this ongoing story, the tale of a transgender swimmer has emerged. The swimmer is said to be following in the footsteps of Lia Thomas. Riley Gaines has now attacked him for doing so.

As per reports, trans swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields broke a college record when she joined the female swimming team. The athlete previously participated on the male team and later transferred to the women’s team. Gaines would later come across a post congratulating the athlete and take to her X account while sharing a screenshot and asking a cheeky question:

Hm, where have we seen this before?….Riley Gaines through X

Social media users would later jump in on the scene and criticize the authorities for allowing this action to take place. Gaines would later update that the institution had deleted the post following the criticism. The institution, in its defense, claimed that the post was deleted following several threats against the athlete.