Former Kentucky women’s swimming star Riley Gaines called out the nomination of University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, for the NCAA Woman of the Year award as “yet another slap in the face to women,” adding that the award is now “worthless.”
“Being the real girl in that photo and also University of Kentucky’s nominee for NCAA WOTY, this is yet another slap in the face to women,” Gaines tweeted on Friday.
Lia Thomas (Mike Comer/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
“First a female national title and now nominated for the pinnacle award in collegiate athletics,” she added. “The @NCAA has made this award worthless.”
Being the real girl in that photo and also University of Kentucky's nominee for NCAA WOTY, this is yet another slap in the face to women. First a female national title and now nominated for the pinnacle award in collegiate athletics. The @NCAA has made this award worthless. https://t.co/MRCieqbltd
— Riley Gaines (@RileyGaines) July 16, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, Gaines said, “This award combines athletic performance with academics, service, and character.”
“What character has Thomas shown other than sheer selfishness and entitlement? The disrespect and disregard for the other female athletes in Thomas’ interviews is eye opening,” the former swim star added.
This award combines athletic performance with academics, service, and character. What character has Thomas shown other than sheer selfishness and entitlement? The disrespect and disregard for the other female athletes in Thomas' interviews is eye opening.
— Riley Gaines (@RileyGaines) July 16, 2022
Gaines, who was also nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year by the University of Kentucky, “won three individual conference titles in the SEC, broke two SEC records, had 12 All-America awards and graduated with summa cum laude honors,” reports Fox News.
In the spring, the female swimmer had also tied with Thomas in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event at the NCAA championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
Gaines spoke out against Thomas in April, telling Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that the NCAA handled the situation “extremely poorly” because they gave Thomas the fifth-place trophy, and told her to pose with the sixth-place trophy.
“I think the NCAA handled everything extremely poorly,” she said. “They kind of blatantly told me that Lia would hold the fifth place trophy and that I could pose with the sixth place trophy for photos and would be mailed a fifth place trophy in the mail.”
Gaines added that when she questioned the matter, she was told, “we’re just going to give the trophy to Lia. We respect and admire your swim, but Lia needs to hold the trophy,”
“I was baffled, really,” Gaines said, adding that having to compete against a biological male was “totally wrong” and “unfair.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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