Women in sports advocate Riley Gaines is, by far, among the biggest names pushing back against far-left elements working to integrate biological males who identify as females into all-girls sports competitions.

But her advocacy for women in sports was not planned. In fact, she had a much different career path in mind: Dental school.

According to The Daily Wire, Gaines, a champion NCAA swimmer, “was going to graduate from [the] University of Kentucky, go on to dental school, become an endodontist, and ride off into the sunset with her husband and dog by her side.”

Her perspective changed when, at the final meet of her successful collegiate swimming career, she confronted a problem that she knew would affect young female athletes for years to come unless someone like herself took a stand and said “no more.”

“I quickly learned that the fastest way to make God laugh was to make plans for myself,” she told the outlet in an exclusive interview.

Gaines came from a family with a strong athletic background – her father played football professionally, her brother played college football, and her sister was a gymnast. She also excelled as an athlete, particularly in the pool, and after years of training, she qualified for the NCAA finals representing the University of Kentucky.

During the final meet of her collegiate career, Gaines was informed that she would be competing against Lia Thomas, a trans-identifying University of Pennsylvania swimmer who was biologically male. However, Gaines and the other female competitors were reportedly not informed that Thomas would have full access to the women’s facilities during the competition, The Daily Wire noted.

Thomas, who was still biologically male in every manner, was allowed access to the women’s facilities while female competitors changed into their racing suits. Gaines said that the female competitors felt uncomfortable and intimidated by Thomas’s presence, but many were afraid to speak up due to potential backlash, the outlet reported.

Gaines said that during the competition, Thomas tied with her for fifth place in the 200 freestyle. However, during the photo session for the winners, NCAA leadership insisted that Thomas hold up the trophy for publicity purposes.

Gaines said an NCAA official told her, “Hey, I just want to let you know, we only have one fifth-place trophy, so yours will be coming in the mail. We went ahead and gave the fifth-place trophy to Lia, but you can pose on the podium with the sixth-place trophy.”

The Daily Wire added:

Gaines was incensed, calling the overall experience “disheartening” not because she didn’t get the trophy, but because she saw what the NCAA had been willing to do for the right kind of photo opportunity.

It was that incident that changed her mind about her life’s plans.

“I’m done competing, this is not about me. I can’t imagine my sister having to share her locker room with a man. I hope to one day have a daughter, and I can’t imagine her not having the same opportunities that I had up until my very last swim meets,” Gaines told the Daily Wire.

She went on to clarify that though she is often accused of being against trans-identifying students’ opportunities in sports, that is far from the truth. She said she believes in fairness in sports at a fundamental level, and allowing biological males to compete with women provides them with an unfair advantage.

“Involvement in sports is important, especially for girls, but for everyone. It fosters growth, leadership skills, and resiliency, and it teaches kids how to take constructive criticism and use it to make themselves better,” Gaines explained. “I don’t think anyone should be denied access to this, that’s a silly accusation, I’m often accused of this. But it has to be fair.”

“This is bigger than just sports — the changing of the language, words that apply to women, the silencing of women’s voices. It may have to get worse before it gets better,” she added, noting that she doesn’t believe most Americans are on the side of the radical leftists. “I think the overwhelming majority are baffled by this that we can’t define woman.”

“When you see the bigger picture — looking at how universities, corporations, even political officials, are denying objective truth — we’re living in a George Orwell dystopian novel where they’re telling us to say that 2+2=5 and we all know it’s not 5,” she said. “It feels as if it’s a cult — it must consume your every waking thought and action. But it’s important for people to understand that your gender identity is not all you are.”

For the time being, dental school is on hold and Gaines is focused on her activism. “To parents, I’d say protect your daughters,” she said. “And teach your sons masculinity. Teach them masculinity because then they will want to protect your daughters as well.”