"Why have a woman's award if a man can win it?" - Riley Gaines reacts to Associated Press nominating Imane Khelif for Female Athlete of the Year

Riley Gaines recently reacted to the Associated Press' 'Female Athlete of the Year' awards, where Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was also nominated. Though nominated, Khelif ultimately lost out to Caitlin Clark, who won the 'Female Athlete of the Year' Award.

Khelif, whose participation at the Paris Olympics ignited a lot of controversy due to a gender identity row, stood third overall amongst the five nominees. Clark, who won the award, got 35 votes, while gymnastics' sensation Simone Biles stood second with a total of 25 votes.

Gaines reacted to Khelif's nomination as she posted on her X handle [formerly Twitter],

"The absurd part is @AP knows he is a man (just as anyone with eyes does), but they just don't care. His medical records showing his chromosomes & anatomy are public. 4 dunces just genuinely believe a man makes the best woman. Why have a woman's award if a man can win it?"

In another post, Gaines also took a dig at Khelif's nomination as she posted,

"Gender furor? Try 'people with common sense & functioning eyeballs'..."

Riley Gaines has been fighting a persistent campaign since 2022 to keep trans athletes out of women's sports. Apart from Imane Khelif, she also campaigned against the participation of Blaire Fleming [who is reportedly a transgender] at the NCAA Mountain West Conference Volleyball League.

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Riley Gaines reacts to Imane Khelif denouncing her critics

Riley Gaines to Imane Khelif's views on her critics [Image Source : Getty]

Riley Gaines previously reacted to Imane Khelif's reaction to her critics. The Algerian boxer had recently announced that she would denounce everyone who called her a man, indicating further legal action against the same.

A few months ago, Khelif had sued author JK Rowling and entrepreneur Elon Musk for cyberbullying. Both had criticized Khelif's participation at the Paris Olympics, and both supported Italy's Angela Carini, who had forfeited her match against the Algerian boxer.

Gaines reacted to this situation as she shared a comment on her X handle with the caption,

"His medical record literally shows he just has a micropenis but okay lol."

In November 2024, a French-Algerian medical report about Khelif was leaked on social media. Accessed by the French magazine 'Le Correspondent', the report claimed that Khelif suffered from 5-alpha reductase syndrome, a sexual deficiency disorder found mostly in biological males. The report also claimed that Khelif had a micropenis and XY chromosomes.

Gaines reacted to this by posting on her X account,

"Remember the man who won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing? His medical reports show he has XY chromosomes, male testosterone levels, testicles, & a micropenis. But that never mattered—they believe that words & feelings make you woman, not biology."

Riley Gaines first came into limelight, when she called out the NCAA for their bias towards the transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the NCAA Championships in 2022. Since then, she has been campaigning against the inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports.