“Female athletes are not okay with this”: Riley Gaines denied trophy over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas
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Lia Thomas
The recent controversy involving transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has made the headlines several times in the last few weeks, with many people and athletes feeling dissatisfaction with her entry and wins in women’s events. Another athlete, Kentucky’s Riley Gaines has spoken out on the matter after competing with Thomas
Gaines feels like that majority of women are not okay with the trajectory that female sports are going in. “The majority of us female athletes, or females in general, really, are not okay with this, and they’re not okay with the trajectory of this and how this is going and how it could end up in a few years,” said Gaines to foxnews.com.
Gaines mentioned that several women feel the same way but are too scared to speak up considering the culture today and the backlash they might face since they do not want to ruin their future.
“I was shocked”: Riley Gaines speaks out about unfair treatment because of Lia Thomas
Riley finished the race in fifth place after touching the wall. Looking up it seemed as if she had tied with Lia Thomas. “It was kind of like a flood of emotions. I was extremely happy for the girls above me who conquered what was seemingly impossible by beating Lia.” While Thomas walked away with a trophy that day from the competition, the same could not be said for Riley.
When she walked back to get her trophy, an NCAA official told her that they have only one trophy for fifth place. He continued that the trophy would be given to Thomas, while Gaines’ trophy would be sent to her by mail. “I was kind of taken aback, and I don’t think he necessarily expected me to really question it,” Gaines said. The official told Gaines that the trophies were given out in chronological order, but it left her confused seeing as though they had tied.
Gaines feels that the situation was mishandled by the officials, and they did not know what they were to do in such a situation. “I was kind of just frustrated with how it was handled and how they kind of addressed me” concluded Riley.
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