Riley Gaines' life was "flipped upside down" after she tied Lia Thomas in last year's NCAA finals. She thought she'd be in dental school but is a major voice trans athlete debate.Riley Gaines thought she'd be entering her second year of dental school at this point in her life, not testifying in front of a Senate committee. But her life was"flipped upside down" after she tied transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in last year's NCAA finals.
Since tying for fifth with Thomas in the 200-meter swimming championship last year, Gaines has become a central figure in the heated political battle over whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete against biological females. Last month, Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer,
Gaines was having a breakout season her sophomore year when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, just weeks before the. The competition was canceled, and her hopes of winning a national title were put on pause. Riley Gaines, now a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum, tied Lia Thomas for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships last year.She had another breakout season after returning to school her junior year. Upon entering her senior year, she was focused on earning a national title.
"This was the first time that I became aware of a swimmer named Lia Thomas," Gaines said."Unbeknownst to me at the time, this was a male."