Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt leads new Real American Freestyle wrestling signees
Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt headlines a group of four women who have signed with Real American Freestyle wrestling.
Hildebrandt became the fourth American woman to win a gold medal in Olympic wrestling when she defeated Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba in the 50-kilogram final last year in Paris.
Other signees the new company announced Thursday are Olympic silver medalist Lucía 'Jami' Yepez Guzman, Audrey Jimenez and Zeltin Hernandez Guerra. They join Kennedy Blades, a silver medalist for the United States at the Paris Olympics, as the anchors of the women's division.
'Real American Freestyle was created to trailblaze, and these incredible women joining our roster are a critical part of that,' RAF commissioner Hulk Hogan said in a statement.
Yepez Guzman, who is from Ecuador, was a silver medalist at the Paris Olympics. She also won gold at the 2023 Pan American Games, the 2021 Junior Pan American Games and the 2021 U23 World Wrestling Championships.
Jimenez, 19, was a U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up. She was the first female to win an Arizona state championship in the boys division. She won the 2025 Senior Pan American Championships at 50 kilograms last month, with a win over Guzman Lopez in the semifinals.
Hernandez Guerra is a Mexican who won gold at the U23 Pan American Championships last year.
Real American Freestyle events will feature matches at eight men's and four women's weight classes. The first is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Cleveland, with other sites to be named in the coming months.
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In Charlie Hustle's day, 110% effort was non-negotiable. In modern baseball, it's more complicated
DENVER (AP) — Imagine this inspirational slogan on a T-shirt: Give 70% effort. It's not quite as catchy as the 110% baseball players have been instructed to exert since Little League. But maybe, just maybe, Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s on to something with his theory that going 70% might be the way to be his best self — and cut down on strained obliques or pulled hamstrings in the process. Only, hustle is woven into the fabric of the game. Nicknames derive from it (Charlie Hustle) and awards are built around it ( Heart & Hustle ). This season, hustle has already come into play on several occasions. Most notably, when Juan Soto, the Mets $765 million star, didn't run hard to second base after smacking a ball high off the Green Monster at Fenway Park. In this modern era of baseball, where the average salary topped $5 million for the first time this season, the politics of hustle may play a role. There's the fundamental notion of hustle (run everything out) set against the possible ramifications of hustle (injuries to high-priced players). To the old guard, though, hustle is a non-negotiable. A lack thereof risks the wrath of not only teammates but a spot in a manager's doghouse. Which is why Chisholm's 70% mindset doesn't quite fly for Ron Washington, a gritty player back in the late 1970s and '80s who now manages the Los Angeles Angels. 'You give the visual of 100% at all times,' the 73-year-old Washington told The Associated Press. 'The only person who knows you're 70% is you, but don't tell people you're 70%, so when they see you dog it, they say, 'Well, he's only 70%.'' The definition of hustle The Baseball Almanac defines hustle as 'to play aggressively, quickly, and alertly.' Translation: You know it when you see it. Two months ago, Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. criticized manager Brian Snitker's lack of response to Jarred Kelenic failing to hustle out of the batter's box. Acuña was removed from a Braves game on Aug. 19, 2019, when he was slow to leave the batter's box on a long drive that bounced off the right-field wall for a long single. 'There's no blanket thing,' Snitker said after the Kelenic situation on removing players for lack of hustle. To Washington, the definition of hustle has 'changed in this generation,' he said. 'Because (the lack of hustle) wouldn't have been allowed in other generations. … Now people don't want to pull their best player off the field when he acts like an (expletive). I'm sorry. They don't want to pull him. Because you pull him, you just gutted the whole team. 'Back in the day, they didn't care. You didn't hustle, your (butt) is off the field. And you know who took care of it when they took you off the field? The players. Not management. Not the manager, not the coaches. The players took care of it.' That's Vinny Castilla's take, too. The two-time All-Star for the Colorado Rockies in the 1990s had veterans pull him aside when sometimes 'you don't feel too good and you don't go 100%.' 'The veterans step in and say, 'Hey, man, you've got to do it. You've got to hustle every day,'' Castilla said. 'Hustle doesn't change. … Some players love to play hard and get their uniform dirty, and some players don't like to do it.' Give 100% of how you feel Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that he generally expects players to give 100% each day, but that's relative to how their feeling. As a recent example, Lovullo cited star outfielder Corbin Carroll, who was nursing a tight hamstring during a series in Cincinnati. 'For Corbin the past couple days, just give me 100% of what you have,' Lovullo said. 'So, yeah, we'll protect players.' In most cases, Lovullo said, hustle is a hard thing to turn on and off. 'If a player is healthy, I feel like there's no reason to not go 100%. To run fast, you've got to practice running fast,' he said. 'To throw hard, you've got to practice throwing hard. You can't turn it on and off. I think you're risking injury when you don't go hard and then all (of a) sudden you need to go hard.' The 70% approach Chisholm believes he found the key to playing well and staying healthy by going 70%. The New York Yankees infielder postulated that his success since returning from the injured list has been caused by limiting intensity. 'Play at 70%: defense, offense, running, everything,' Chisholm said. 'Stay healthy. You don't overswing. You don't swing and miss as much, and you're a great player at 70%.' Of course, that wouldn't have gone over well with 'Charlie Hustle' himself — the late Pete Rose, who elevated hustling to an art form. That was also before the age of the viral bat flip. Admiring homers is not just permitted, it's encouraged — and doesn't result in a fastball to the ribs the next go-around at the plate. In Soto's case, he appeared slow out of the box after watching what he thought was a homer. It's a different time from Washington's day. 'The game became young and it got to the point where we don't want to hurt nobody's feelings,' he said. 'I don't remember (longtime big-league manager) Gene Mauch giving a (expletive) about hurting my feelings. … You didn't get the job done, then I'm letting you know you didn't get the job done. And if you don't want me screaming at you, guess what you better do? Get the job done!' It's a balancing act for sure. 'Some days are tougher than others. We always say that,' Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. 'We're going to play hard for 27 outs. There's gonna be days where Woody (22-year-old budding star James Wood) sometimes will run out a groundball because he knows he' got a chance to make it. There will be some days where he hits a 110-mph one-hopper where he doesn't go hard out of the box, and I can understand that.' Hustle, much like Chisholm's theory, remains complicated. 'Some of it is what you would call eyewash, and some of it's real,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy explained. 'Real hustle means staying present in the game and staying on the game, being relentless in pitch-to-pitch readiness. Sometimes you can't even see it. I can see it. 'Your mind's decided on something else. You're worried about your contract or you're worried about next year or you're worried about a .300 batting average versus .299. I look at that as kind of lack of proper focus, not necessarily not hustling, the actual physical hustle. I think these guys play their (butts) off.' The stare Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger learned the importance of hustle through a stare. He and his teammates growing up called it the 'Clay Stare.' It was the look from Bellinger's father, Clay, his longtime coach who helped instill the values of the game. 'You don't ever want the 'Clay Stare,'' Bellinger said. 'My dad was always like, 'Hey, run balls out. People are always watching.'' Bellinger's been benched in his career, like when he was with the Dodgers in 2018 and manager Dave Roberts sat him for not hustling on a double. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'Hustle, I think, it's one of the few things in this game you can control,' Bellinger said. 'You can't control where you hit the ball. But you can always control hustle and energy.' ___ AP Baseball Writers Mike Fitzpatrick, David Brandt and Ronald Blum, AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee and AP freelance writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report. ___ AP MLB:
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stanley Cup Final is becoming a showcase for the Oilers' Leon Draisaitl
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — This is becoming Leon Draisaitl's Stanley Cup Final for the Edmonton Oilers. The standout German forward has scored the overtime goal in each of their two wins in the championship series rematch against the Florida Panthers, including Thursday night in Game 4 to pull Edmonton even. He's just the fifth player in NHL history and first in more than three decades to score twice in overtime in the final. 'He's as clutch as it gets,' goaltender Calvin Pickard said while sitting next to Draisaitl, who also had a pair of assists for a three-point performance. 'Always scores big goals at big times.' Draisaitl's four OT goals this playoffs are the most in a single postseason. John LeClair was the last to score two OT goals in a final for Montreal back in 1993, the last time a Canadian team won the Cup. Edmonton is two victories away from ending that drought thanks in large part to Draisaitl delivering when it matters most. 'It's incredible,' longtime teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. 'He's a horse out there for us — just always. It's just constant. It's consistent. We always can lean on him, and he always finds a way to get those big ones.' It's also nothing new. Among modern day players with at least 40 games of playoff experience, only Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and teammate Connor McDavid have produced at a higher rate at the toughest time of the year to put the puck in the net. Draisaitl is averaging 1.49 points a game, and this series has been a showcase for him after being far less than 100% a year ago when he and the Oilers lost in the final. All the overtimes aren't bothering him. 'I feel great,' Draisaitl said. 'It's a long season, of course, for either side. We've played the same amount of minutes in this series. Fatigue kicks in at some point, but your adrenaline usually takes over and you just chip away at it, chip away at it.' Draisaitl addressed teammates after a 6-1 loss in Game 3 on Monday night, an uncharacteristic effort from the oldest team in the league. He was equally as unpleased after Edmonton fell behind 3-0 in the first period of Game 4. 'We were kind of lollygagging around a little bit,' Draisaitl said. 'It's certainly not the time to lollygag around, especially after getting spanked in Game 3.' The Oilers rallied to tie it, took the lead and then gave up the tying goal with 19.5 seconds left in regulation. That set the stage for Draisaitl to lead the way with his play, not just his words. 'He not only says what he's going to do, he backs it up with his play and his actions,' defenseman Darnell Nurse said. 'That's what makes him an amazing leader. We get into overtime, those tense moments and he has an ability to relax in them and just make plays. He gets rewarded for working hard.' Draisaitl accurately called his goal 'a fortunate bounce — no secret about it.' But there were enough plays throughout the night that he did not finish, so call it even. With the Panthers putting all their energy into stopping McDavid, Draisaitl is taking over just about any time he's on the ice. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'Leon, I don't know what could be said that really conveys what he brings to our team — not only the leadership but the play,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'He has just elevated his game in the toughest moments.' Draisaitl is making his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, the award McDavid won last year in a losing effort and refused to leave the locker room to accept. He pulled even with McDavid as the favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook after scoring in overtime and tying him for the postseason scoring lead with 32 points. Asked how Draisaitl seems to be so automatic in overtime and other clutch situations, teammate Vasily Podkolzin responded: 'Because he's one of the best players in the world. That's why.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A golf course with a 6-lane highway? Welcome to the US Open at Oakmont, where I-76 somehow blends in
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — For a six-lane interstate carving its way through a world-famous golf course, the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Oakmont is surprisingly unintrusive. From an overhead view, the sight is somewhat jarring — a wide expressway and railroad track dividing the course essentially in half. At ground level, however, the road is not much of a distraction. In fact, it can't be seen from much of Oakmont's layout. 'And honestly, you don't even really hear it,' Oakmont historian David Moore said. 'It's amazing how quiet it really is.' Moore is an expert on this small stretch of the Turnpike — or Interstate 76, if you prefer. Its path through the course at Oakmont — the site of the U.S. Open this week — was originally just a train track. 'One of the old history books here talks about how until diesel-powered trains came through, there'd be soot all over the first green, the ninth tee and all that,' Moore said. 'They'd be driving by and set off all the smoke and just cover the place.' This is not the Road Hole at St. Andrews. There's nothing quaint about the Turnpike at Oakmont. It also isn't — or at least, it shouldn't be — a factor in the course of play. With its slick greens and ferocious rough, Oakmont is difficult enough without adding a forced carry over a bunch of 18-wheelers. Holes Nos. 2-8 are to the east of the highway and all the rest are to the west. The first green and ninth tee, as well as the second tee and eighth green, converge on the two sides of the Turnpike, near a couple footbridges that allow fans to cross over the road. The biggest reason the roadway blends in when you're on the course is because there's an elevation change down to the highway. So the Turnpike presents largely as a gap in the middle of the course — if it's perceptible at all. There is no giant screen to prevent wayward balls from flying onto the road. The holes closest to the highway on the west side are generally perpendicular to it. Those on the east are more parallel, but it would take a pretty extraordinary miss to reach the Turnpike. That's not to say it can't happen. Moore tells the story of Cary Middlecoff hitting a ball toward the highway on No. 10 before withdrawing in disgust in 1953. Thirty years later, it was Tom Weiskopf on No. 8 working his way into Oakmont lore. 'He flared one off to the right, it landed in a passing train, and it ended up in Cleveland,' Moore said. 'The running joke around here: It was the longest tee shot ever hit.' The more realistic concern the highway creates is for fans. Even with a second footbridge added between the 1994 and 2007 U.S. Opens, there's still a potential bottleneck in that area as fans cross over the traffic below — which on Thursday included some drivers honking their horns as they passed by golf's third major of the year. Foot traffic wasn't excessively slow, but it was enough of a slog that bouncing back and forth between one side and the other wasn't advisable. Near the bridges, the highway is flanked by a wall on the west side and some fencing on the east. The wall seems to do a better job of suppressing the noise from below, but on both sides, you might hear the road before you can see it. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. If you're looking for a decent view without crowding onto a bridge, the area behind the 10th green has a nice vantage point of the highway as it descends north toward the Allegheny River. A grandstand at the green on No. 12 offers a view of the Turnpike going the opposite direction. For the most part, the sheer size of Oakmont turns even a major roadway — which can take cars all the way to Philadelphia in one direction and Akron, Ohio, in the other — into something of an afterthought. 'You don't really see it,' Moore said. 'Twelve is really like the only hole where you look over it.' ___ AP golf:
