Naser speeds to 400m win, Thomas wins title
Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain won the 400m in 48.67 seconds, with American Gabby Thomas enacting a late charge to finish runner-up in Jamaica.
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Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Simone Biles calls Riley Gaines 'sick' over criticism of transgender athletes
Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles is going head-to-head with one of the most vocal opponents of transgender girls and women competing in female sports, former college swimmer Riley Gaines. Biles — the most decorated Olympic gymnast is history — called the former college athlete 'sick' and a 'sore loser' in a post on X Friday night. '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,' Biles, 28, wrote. 'Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!' 'But instead… You bully them,' Biles continued. 'One things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!' As a college swimmer, Gaines tied for fifth place in a competition with then-University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who is transgender, in 2022. Since then, Gaines has largely built a career as a pundit in conservative media advocating against trans women competing in female sports, arguing that it is unfair to include them in competition and their inclusion is at times unsafe for other competitors. Gaines, 25, has also built an enormous following on social media, with over 1.5 million followers on X, where she regularly lambastes and mocks transgender athletes. On Friday, Gaines posted an image of a Minnesota girls high school baseball team, which supposedly includes a trans player. She appeared to taunt the player, referring to her as a boy, which appears to have elicited Biles' response. Gaines almost immediately responded to Biles' criticism in a series of posts on X. 'This is so disappointing. My take is the least controversial take on the planet,' Gaines wrote. 'Simone Biles being a male-apologist at the expense of young girls' dreams? Didn't have that on my bingo card.' The issues of trans girls and women competing in female sports has become a lightning rod issue in the United States in recent years. In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in female sports. Before that, at least 27 states already had laws, regulations or policies banning transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identities, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank. This article was originally published on
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Coco Gauff defeats top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 sets to win her 1st French Open and 2nd Grand Slam title
PARIS — Coco Gauff won the French Open for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday's final for her second Grand Slam title. The second-ranked Gauff made fewer mistakes in a contest that was full of tension and momentum swings to get the better of Sabalenka for the second time in a Grand Slam final. She also came from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the 2023 U.S. Open final. Gauff raised the winners' trophy aloft, then kissed it several times. She held her hand over her heart when the U.S. national anthem played. She is the first American woman to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015. She then thanked her parents for doing everything 'from washing my clothes to keeping me grounded and giving me the belief that I can do it.' 'You guys probably believe in me more than myself,' Gauff said in her on-court speech. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands as she started to sob, then got up and held her hand over her mouth. She continued to sob as she patted the clay with her left hand. Gauff greeted Sabalenka at the net with a warm hug and thanking the umpire, Gauff screamed out with joy and relief, then got to her knees and crouched forward, continuing to cry as she savored the win. She hugged later film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage in her box, three years after she lost in her first Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros. In her on-court speech, she also added that the defeat in 2022 at the age of 18 put her in a 'dark place' and then thanked the fans on Court-Philippe Chatrier, who were rooting mostly for her. 'The crowd really helped me today, you guys were cheering for me so hard and I don't know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd,' she said. 'But I appreciate you, guys.' Sabalenka was in tears moments earlier when she made her speech. Struggling to find her words, she praised Gauff for being a 'fighter' and said she deserved the win, but added that the windy conditions made for an error-strewn contest. 'This will hurt so much,' she said. 'Coco, congrats, in the tough conditions you were a better player than me. Well done, great two weeks, and congrats on the second Grand Slam. It's well deserved.' Both players were sloppy in the first set, conceding 21 break-point chances and making 48 unforced errors between them, with Sabalenka making 32 yet still winning the set. She made 70 altogether in the match, compared to 30 overall for Gauff. Sabalenka was often frustrated during the first set, remonstrating and shouting at herself and frequently turning around to look at her team with an exasperated look on her face. She put her head on her hands a couple of times, and at one point raised her shoulders as if to say 'What's going on?' The first set looked to be heading Gauff's way when she led 3-0 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka steadied herself and clinched it with a forehand volley at the net — an area where she dominated Gauff. Gauff picked her spots better in the second set and the crowd cheered more loudly when her smash at the net leveled the match. But Sabalenka started the deciding set strongly, sticking to her high-risk approach to hold her first service game. Gauff responded by raising her level, winning a superb rally in the third game that drew loud cheers. After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs — only for Gauff to intercept it at the net and finish with a winner. Gauff was consistent from the baseline and earned a break point which she converted when Sabalenka double-faulted, giving her a 2-1 lead. Sabalenka regained her composure, breaking back to level the match at 3-3. She was broken again at love, however, and Gauff then held serve twice to claimed the title after a match that lasted 2 hours, 38 minutes. Gauff now owns two French Open trophies after winning last year's women's doubles title.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Coco Gauff admits French Open win ‘wasn't pretty' after beating Aryna Sabalenka
Coco Gauff admitted her first French Open title win 'wasn't pretty' after she battled Aryna Sabalenka and the elements to reign on the Paris clay. The 21-year-old American, seeded second, came from a set down to beat world number one Sabalenka 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-4. Advertisement A stiff breeze swirled around Court Philippe-Chatrier and contributed to a combined total of 100 unforced errors and 15 breaks of serve. It was Gauff who coped better with the conditions to add the Roland Garros title to her 2023 US Open crown. Gauff coped better with the windy conditions (Jon Buckle/PA) 'it was super tough when I walked on the court and felt the wind because we warmed up with the roof closed,' she said. 'I was, like, 'this is going to be a tough day', and I knew it was just going to be about willpower and mental. 'It really came down to the last few points, but overall I'm just really happy with the fight that I managed today. 'It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done, and that's all that matters.' It was the first time the top two women's seeds had contested a Roland Garros final since Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in 2013. Advertisement Sabalenka edged a tie-break to win the opening set, which at 77 minutes lasted nine minutes longer than the entire match the last time Gauff was in the Roland Garros final, a chastening 6-1 6-3 defeat by Iga Swiatek three years ago. But at the start of the second Gauff inflicted a fifth successive break of the Sabalenka serve and finished it with an overhead Gauff was the more composed player by now and edged a break ahead in the decider, while Sabalenka moodily eyeballed her coaching team in the players' box. Sabalenka won the first set but could not halt the comeback (Jon Buckle/PA) Sabalenka drew level at 3-3 but promptly double-faulted to give Gauff three break points, and she dispatched the first with another precise swish of her backhand. Advertisement At 5-3 the 27-year-old Belarusian bravely held to make Gauff serve the match out. In keeping with the previous two hours and 38 minutes, a match point came and went, as did a break point. But when the second chance arrived and Sabalenka swung wide, an elated, tearful Gauff fell to the clay as she celebrated a stunning win. Sabalenka, a vivacious presence throughout the fortnight both in person and via her social media output, was an uncharacteristically ungracious loser. 'I mean, honestly sometimes it felt like she was hitting the ball from the frame,' she said. 'Somehow, magically the ball lands in the court, and you're kind of on the back foot. Advertisement 'It felt like a joke, honestly, like somebody from above was just staying there laughing, like, 'let's see if you can handle this'. 'I was just making unforced errors. I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes, kind of like from easy balls.'
