“Narcissism? Reeking of it” – Riley Gaines lashes out at transgender hurdler CeCe Telfer for planning to take ‘all the records’ in New England

Former swimmer Riley Gaines and CeCe Telfer

Former American swimmer and activist Riley Gaines recently condemned CeCe Telfer, a Jamaican-born trans athlete’s statements in which she claimed that she was planning to sweep all records and the titles in New England following the trans sports bans lately.

Telfer, a Franklin Pierce University alumni, participated in the men’s category until 2016–17, but after transitioning, she continued her track pursuits in the women’s division. In 2019, Telfer became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA championship title.

Her personal-best time of 57.53 seconds in 400m hurdles at the championship made her stand atop the podium. The latter finish also went down in the history books, as it was the best 400m hurdles collegiate finish at the time.

However, the sports world has observed stringent regulations from the regulatory bodies regarding the participation of trans athletes in the women’s category. In a similar vein, World Athletics in 2023 barred trans athletes from competing in the women’s division, which shattered Telfer’s Paris Olympics dreams.

While Telfer was expressing her grief with recent developments in sports in an interview with “them”, the news caught the attention of Riley Gaines, known for opposing transgender athletes competing in the women’s category.

Gaines scrutinized her claims in a tweet she made on Saturday while sharing a particular statement from Telfer’s recent interview that read:

“I plan on going back to New England, hitting up all the indoor competitions, and taking all the names, all the records, and everything.”

In the above statement, Telfer was talking about participating in the indoor track events in New England and clinching everything from breaking records to winning titles.

While criticizing Telfer, Riley Gaines said:

“Entitlement? Absolutely. Detached from reality? 100%. Narcissism? Reeking of it.”

Riley Gaines responds to NBC News claiming she misgendered transgender swimmer Lia Thomas

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Riley Gaines has had a history with the American trans swimmer Lia Thomas from her collegiate days. It started during the 2022 NCAA Championships when the latter was asked to settle for sixth place after their tying fifth-place finish. However, Gaines protested the decision and has become a voice for many such women athletes ever since.

The matter again came to light recently when NBC News, in one of their coverage on Lia Thomas, stated that Riley Gaines ‘misgendered’ the transgender swimmer.

Gaines said of the accusation:

“Actually, @NBCNews, it would be you who misgendered Thomas. When a na*ed man exposes his p*nis to me & a room full of na*ed, vulnerable girls non-consensually, a gun to my head wouldn’t make me call him a “she” now.”