Former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines surprised fans over the weekend by announcing that she’s pregnant with her first child.
At an event on June 14, the 25-year-old shared that she and her husband, Louis Barker, are expecting a baby girl.
But the announcement wasn’t just about celebrating motherhood, it also included a jab in her ongoing feud with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
While speaking to the audience, Gaines brought up how Biles had previously criticized her over her comments on transgender athletes, calling her “truly sick” and telling her to “bully someone your own size which would ironically be a man.”
Gaines then responded on stage by asking, “How many men do you know that have this?” and revealed her baby bump, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
Later, she and Barker shared the news on Instagram with a photo featuring a horse and baby sonogram pictures.
Her caption read, “Surprise! We’re 26 weeks pregnant! God is SO good all the time.” She also wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “There’s something so special and providential about having a little girl. She’s everything I’ve been fighting for & the little girl we’ve prayed over for years. Praise God.”
The feud between Gaines and Biles started when Gaines criticized a transgender athlete’s championship win in Minnesota, commenting online, “To be expected when your star player is a boy.” Biles clapped back, defending the athlete and condemning Gaines’ remarks.
What started as a disagreement over transgender inclusion in sports has now turned into a high-profile back-and-forth, complete with online digs and now, a very public pregnancy reveal.
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