Olympic gold medalist Jackson takes in Supercross
Olympic gold medalist Erin Jackson joins the SMX Insider pre-race show to share her experience attending Salt Lake City Supercross, what impresses her most about the sport, and performing under pressure.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Simone Biles Speaks Out After Slamming Riley Gaines for Her Views on Transgender Athletes
Simone Biles clarified her comments to conservative activist Riley Gaines about transgender athletes in a new post The Olympian said the conversation "starts with empathy and respect" and clarified she was "not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports" Biles said she believes "sports organizations have a responsibility" to support "inclusion while maintaining fair competition"Simone Biles is speaking out again after she slammed Riley Gaines for her views on transgender athletes in sports. Biles, 28, posted a lengthy message on X on Tuesday, June 10, telling her followers she wanted to "follow up" on her last posts from the weekend in which she called 25-year-old Gaines, a conservative activist and former swimmer, a "sore loser" and "truly sick." "I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport," Biles began in her follow-up post. "The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for." The Olympic gymnast said their conversation covers "sensitive, complicated issues" that she doesn't "have the answers or solutions to." "But I believe it starts with empathy and respect," Biles continued. "I was not advocating for policies that compromise fairness in women's sports. My objection is to be singling out children for public scrutiny in ways that feel personal and harmful. Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over." "I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to come up with rules supporting inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful," Biles concluded, signing off with, "Xoxo Simone." Biles first called out Gaines when the conservative activist commented on a post from the Minnesota State High School League of players posing with their first softball state championship plaque. Gaines wrote, 'Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy,' referring to Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender athlete who is a pitcher for the team, according to Fox News. Rothenberger helped the team secure the win with a shutout, as their opponents failed to score. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Biles quoted the X post and wrote, "You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. 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. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One thing's for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!' In a separate post on X amid the argument, Biles wrote, 'bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male." Gaines and Biles' exchange was sparked by the ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to push back against states, like California, who are permitting transgender athletes to participate in sports that align with their gender identity. After 16-year-old transgender athlete AB Hernandez won both the high school girls' high jump and triple jump at a California state track meet earlier this month, the Trump administration threatened California with fines and legal action, according to CBS News. Hernandez's success also prompted California's Interscholastic Federation to change its rules to allow more "biological female student-athletes" to participate in the same events that trans-athletes are also participating in, per AP. Read the original article on People
Boston Globe
43 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Not protecting Hilary Knight from PWHL expansion was the ‘hardest decision' Fleet GM Danielle Marmer had to make
'Not protecting Hilary Knight was the hardest decision that I made in my professional career to date,' Marmer said Tuesday. Related : Knight, 35, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the sport. In addition to tying for the league lead in points this season (29 in 30 games), she has won four Olympic and 15 World Championship medals with Team USA, and she holds the World Championship records for goals, assists, and points. She announced in May she plans to make the 2026 Olympics her fifth and final Games, and she may be closing in on the end of her career. Advertisement Müller, meanwhile, is 27 and has a long career ahead of her. 'I had to strike a balance between performance, longevity, and salary cap,' Marmer said. 'I think Alina is somebody who it doesn't matter who we surround her with or what she has to work with, she's going to find a way to do a really nice job and be productive and be impactful.' Advertisement In addition to Müller, Marmer protected defender Megan Keller and goaltender Aerin Frankel. Teams received one additional protection after the expansion teams had poached two of their players, and Marmer used hers on Shay Maloney. Between the exclusive signing period and the expansion draft on Monday night, Related : The expansion process continues with free agency and the PWHL entry draft on June 24, but Vancouver and Seattle's initial 12-player rosters are set. By allowing teams to protect only three players initially and four overall, PWHL executives hoped to make the expansion teams competitive in their first year. But critics of the process have argued that it put existing teams at a disadvantage and turned the expansion teams into 'super teams.' When asked about the criticism, Marmer deflected. 'I'm not sure I'm in a place to be able to comment on if it was the right format or how we need to change it, but I'm certain that the league and everybody involved is going to spend some time seeing how things play out and making any adjustments for potential future drafts that need to be adjusted,' Marmer said. Despite losing four top players, Marmer was optimistic about how expansion will affect the remaining players on her roster. 'With change comes opportunity, and there are going to be players who are going to rise to the occasion and step up in a way that they maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity to had some of these players remained in our market,' Marmer said. 'I'm really excited to see who it is and how it goes and how those players show up and maybe take on some of that responsibility.' Advertisement Emma Healy can be reached at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Olympic athletes warn pro-doping Enhanced Games could lead to deaths
Former swimming world champion James Magnussen attends a Las Vegas press conference in May to announce he will be joining the new Enhanced Games. Former swimming world champion James Magnussen attends a Las Vegas press conference in May to announce he will be joining the new Enhanced Games. Photograph: Arafat Barbakh/Reuters Olympic athletes have condemned the Enhanced Games – a controversial new sporting event where competitors are encouraged to use performance-enhancing drugs – warning it could result in long-term health consequences or even deaths. In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) athletes' commissions called the Enhanced Games 'a betrayal of everything that we stand for'. Advertisement Related: Pro-doping Enhanced Games to debut in Las Vegas with Trump Jr backing 'Promoting performance-enhancing substances and methods sends a dangerous message – especially to current and future generations of athletes,' the statement read. 'Such substances can lead to serious long-term health consequences – even death – and encouraging athletes to use them is utterly irresponsible and immoral. No level of sporting success is worth such a cost.' The rebuke is the most forceful yet against the Enhanced Games, an Olympics-style event set to debut next May in Las Vegas where athletes will be allowed, and in some cases incentivized, to use banned substances under medical supervision. Organizers of the Enhanced Games have positioned the competition as a radical alternative to traditional sport, promising to embrace what they call 'superhumanity' by normalizing pharmaceutical and technological enhancement. The event will run 21–24 May 2026 at Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip and feature sprinting, swimming and weightlifting. Advertisement While promoters frame the Games as a scientific revolution and a break from what they call the 'hypocrisy' of anti-doping regimes, the backlash has been swift and severe. 'This is a dangerous clown show, not real sport,' said Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, in an earlier statement. 'As we have seen through history, performance-enhancing drugs have taken a terrible physical and mental toll on many athletes. Some have died.' The Enhanced Games' founder, the Australian entrepreneur Aron D'Souza, insists the event is both ethical and medically sound. Athletes will undergo individualized health profiling, disclose all substances used while competing under the supervision of independent scientific and ethics boards. Traditional anti-doping tests will not be conducted. 'The Enhanced Games is renovating the Olympic model for the 21st century,' D'Souza said. 'In the era of accelerating technological and scientific change, the world needs a sporting event that embraces the future – particularly advances in medical science.' Advertisement Critics say the model amounts to 'don't ask, don't tell' for doping. Others see a deeper agenda: a challenge not only to sport's institutions but to its foundational values. Many have also raised concerns about the political and financial backers of the event. Related: 'Imagine if a 60-year-old broke Usain Bolt's record': the story behind the Enhanced Games, the Olympics where everyone dopes The latest round of funding includes investment from 1789 Capital – a firm co-founded by Donald Trump Jr and Omeed Malik – while tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been listed as a major investor and 'close advisor', according to D'Souza. A video announcing the backing appeared to suggest the US president's personal endorsement. D'Souza has openly welcomed their involvement, describing Trump-aligned figures as 'some of the most significant' cultural supporters of the project. The event's tagline, Live Enhanced, has become both a rallying cry and a provocation. Organizers say they are recruiting athletes who feel alienated by conventional doping restrictions, including former swimming world champion James Magnussen. In February, Greek-Bulgarian swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev recorded a time 0.02sec faster than the longstanding 50m freestyle world record, reportedly while following an enhancement protocol. But the swim was not officially recognized – in part because he wore a polyurethane suit not approved by Fina, swimming's global governing body. Advertisement Prize money for the 2026 Games is substantial: up to $500,000 per event, with a $1m bonus for record-breaking performances. Despite mounting criticism, the Enhanced Games show no signs of slowing down. Organizers say discussions are ongoing with sponsors and streaming platforms, though no broadcast partner or marquee athlete has been publicly confirmed. If regulatory pressure builds, the Games' future could hinge on whether the public sees the venture as scientific progress or a dangerous line crossed. For now, Olympic athletes say the stakes couldn't be higher. 'We stand firmly together for the values of fair play, ethical behaviour and respect,' the IOC and WADA athletes said in Tuesday's statement. 'We will do everything we can to protect the integrity of sport for generations to come.'
