If you’d told Riley Gaines two years ago, as she stood dripping pool water and adrenaline beside Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, that her name would become synonymous with a movement echoing through the corridors of American sport, she might have laughed off the idea as fanciful. After all, Gaines was just another fiercely competitive swimmer, fighting for every inch in the pool, her eyes fixed on the clock, the lane lines, and the next big race. But that day, when she tied for fifth in the 200-yard freestyle with Thomas—a transgender athlete whose eligibility had sparked a national debate—something shifted. It was a moment that would set the stage for a battle over fairness, recognition, and the very definition of women’s sport in America.

Fast forward to July 2025, and the name Riley Gaines is no longer just etched on the record books of the University of Kentucky. It’s become a rallying cry for thousands who feel women’s sports are at a crossroads. And this week, as news broke that the University of Pennsylvania would resolve its Title IX violations following the Lia Thomas controversy, Gaines’ reaction was nothing short of electric. “I’m over the moon,” she declared, her voice brimming with the kind of relief and vindication that only comes after years of being told you’re fighting a losing battle.

But this isn’t just a story of one woman’s joy. It’s the story of a reckoning—one that’s been brewing in locker rooms, boardrooms, and courtrooms across the country. For Gaines, the UPenn decision is both a victory and a bittersweet reminder of the road still left to travel. She knows, perhaps better than anyone, that the scars left by the last few years run deep for many female athletes. “Of course, it doesn’t necessarily undo the harm and the abuse that the mistreatment caused to women,” she admits, her words tinged with both satisfaction and sorrow. “But it is the first step in taking, again, that responsibility and accountability, especially as it pertains to these apologies.”

The apologies, of course, are not just words. As part of its resolution with the Department of Education, UPenn has agreed to issue personal apologies to every female swimmer impacted by Thomas’ participation, restore lost records and titles, and—perhaps most controversially—adopt definitions of male and female based on biological sex. It’s a move that has sent shockwaves through the world of collegiate athletics, not least because it comes after months of silence and hand-wringing from institutions that seemed paralyzed by the complexity of the issue.

For Gaines, who now hosts the podcast ‘Gaines For Girls’ and has become a leading voice for women’s sports, the news is both a vindication of her efforts and a call to arms. She’s quick to point out that this is not just about Lia Thomas, or even about swimming. It’s about a principle—the idea that women’s sports should be a level playing field, where female athletes can compete against each other without the shadow of unfairness looming over every race, every meet, every championship.

Sitting across from Dan Dakich on his radio show, Gaines lets her guard down just enough to reveal how much the fight has taken out of her. “This has something that we have been—and when I say we I don’t just mean me and female swimmers—I mean people like you, Dan. We have been pleading, demanding that those responsible take some form of accountability and so that’s what we’re seeing here.” There’s a sense that, for Gaines, this is about more than just medals and records. It’s about dignity. It’s about recognition. And it’s about making sure that the next generation of girls who lace up their trainers or don their swimsuits don’t have to fight the same battles.

Yet even as she celebrates, Gaines is acutely aware that the real test lies ahead. The NCAA, the governing body for college sports in the United States, has so far stood on the sidelines, content to let individual schools and athletes bear the brunt of the controversy. Gaines, never one to mince her words, is calling them out. “There needs to be some form of retribution,” she says, her tone sharpening. “The NCAA stood idly by as Thomas competed against female swimmers as a biological male.” It’s a damning indictment, but one that’s hard to argue with given the months of confusion and inaction that have defined the NCAA’s response to the issue.

Indeed, Gaines is not alone in her frustration. Alongside her, a growing band of current and former female athletes have joined a lawsuit against the NCAA, funded by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS). They’re demanding not just apologies, but real change—policies that put fairness and safety at the heart of women’s sports. For too long, they argue, the conversation has been dominated by fear of backlash, by concerns over inclusivity that, while important, have sometimes come at the expense of the very athletes Title IX was designed to protect.

As the dust settles on UPenn’s decision, attention is already turning to what comes next. Will other universities follow suit? Will the NCAA finally step up and provide the leadership that’s been so conspicuously lacking? And what of Lia Thomas herself, whose achievements in the pool are now marked with a special note in UPenn’s record books—a footnote to a chapter that has divided opinion like few others in recent memory?

For Gaines, the answer is clear. This is just the beginning. “We need more than this—we need retribution, we need transparency, and we need organisations like the NCAA to truly take responsibility,” she insists. Her words are not just a challenge to the powers that be, but a promise to the athletes who look up to her. She knows that change, real change, is never easy. It requires courage, persistence, and a willingness to stand up and be counted, even when the odds seem insurmountable.

As she reflects on the journey from that fateful day in 2022 to the present moment, Gaines is both proud and humbled by the role she’s played. She’s quick to deflect praise, insisting that she’s just one of many voices fighting for fairness. But there’s no denying that her determination, her refusal to back down, has helped to shift the conversation in ways that few could have predicted.

The battle for women’s sports is far from over. If anything, UPenn’s decision has only raised the stakes. For every victory, there are setbacks; for every step forward, there are those who would drag the conversation back into the mire of division and acrimony. But for Gaines, and for the thousands of athletes she represents, the message is simple: women’s sports matter. They deserve to be protected, celebrated, and preserved—not just for today’s athletes, but for generations yet to come.

In the end, perhaps that’s the real legacy of Riley Gaines and the movement she’s helped to ignite. Not the headlines, not the lawsuits, not even the changes to policy and procedure. But the sense that, finally, someone is listening. That the voices of female athletes are being heard. And that, just maybe, the future of women’s sports is a little brighter because of it.

As the sun sets on another tumultuous week in American sport, one thing is clear: Riley Gaines isn’t done fighting yet. And neither, it seems, is the country she calls home. The world will be watching to see what happens next. And if Gaines has anything to say about it, the story is only just beginning.