The callback referenced an Aug. 2023 effort by Olbermann targeting Gaines whom he contended on X “sucked at swimming” in response to her defending a “Women’s Bill of Rights.”
“Can you just address the reality and move past it?” he wondered.
The reality was that in March 2022, Thomas, a biological male permitted to compete in the Women’s NCAA Division I championship had gone on to finish first in the 500-yard freestyle before going on to be nominated for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Gaines’ willingness to speak out against gender ideologues had included congressional testimony after a speaking event at San Francisco State University had resulted in protesters forcing her to shelter in an office that she described as a “prison” for hours.
Olbermann had gone on to caption a rant at the time, “Second team all-conference. Happily for nasty, stupid, unsuccessful transphobe @Riley_Gaines_ she has no reputation to ruin,” prompting Gaines to fire back with a video showing off her trophies and awards that included SEC female scholar-athlete of the year, three SEC titles and All-SEC first-team.
She later went on to note on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “I very proudly finished my career as a 12-time All-American, a five-time SEC champion, the SEC record holder, SEC scholar-athlete of the year, SEC community services leader of the year — I can keep going on — and it’s like, this senile old man wants to attack me? He still lives with his mom in her basement. I had to ask my dad, ‘Who is this guy?’ I don’t even know who he is.”
