Former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas is once again the topic of debate on sports twitter.
Monday night, U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker featured one of Thomas’ past opponents, Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, in a campaign ad.
“I was forced to compete against a biological male,” Gaines, who competed against Thomas at the NCAA Championships, said.
The new campaign commercial is going viral on social media.
Many sports fans don’t seem to be taking Gaines’ side, though.
“Riley Gaines came in 5th place in that competition. I don’t think transgender athletes are her problem,” one fan wrote.
“Word on these Twitter streets, Riley Gaines came in 5th place, maybe she sucks at swimming,” one fan added.
“Riley Gaines is in need of some serious therapy because this fixation is getting to be ridiculous. 4 cis women beat her, she had no chance of winning that title. Lia Thompson took absolutely nothing from her,” another fan added.
“Important to note that Riley Gaines was also “forced to compete” against four other women who finished ahead of her in this race. She, like Herschel Walker, is a loser and just won’t stop complaining about it,” one fan wrote.
“It should be noted that Riley wouldn’t have won a single NCAA title with or without Lia Thomas competing,” one fan added.
Where do you stand on the issue?