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Twelve-time NCAA All-American swimmer Riley Gaines and husband Louis Barker are expecting their first child together.
Gaines confirmed the news to Fox News Digital Saturday, adding the couple will welcome a baby girl in September.
“Surprise! we’re 26 weeks pregnant,” she said in a post on Instagram. “God is SO good all the time.”
The host of OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast married Barker in 2022, and they celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary May 22.
Gaines has been a staunch advocate for female athletes during the debate about transgender athletes participating in girls and women’s sports. She most recently sparred with seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles over a Minnesota softball team that won a state championship behind the performance of a trans player.
In response to Gaines’ criticism of a social media post praising the championship team, Biles posted a message calling Gaines “truly sick” for her stance on trans athletes. She even launched a personal attack on Gaines’ physical appearance.
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“You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” Biles said, referencing Gaines competing against former UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships.
“You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”
The post went viral on social media, with Biles adding in another post, “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
Gaines addressed the body-shaming remark during a speech at Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit in Texas on Saturday, where she first announced her pregnancy.
“How many men do you know that have this,” Gaines said as she showed her bump and shared sonograms on stage. Barker also joined Gaines on stage to speak about the exciting news of the new edition to their family.
“The next generation that our little girl is going to be a part of, that is who you all are fighting for and who Turning Point is fighting for. And so from a father-to-be, thank you, keep fighting… and thank you,” he said.
Biles later issued an apology to Gaines and said she was “not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women’s sports.” Gaines responded by accepting the apology and inviting the Olympian to join the effort “to support fair sports and a future for female athletes.”
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