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Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles deleting her X following their disagreement over …

Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles deleting her X following their disagreement over trans athletes – Face2Face Africa Keep Up With Global Black News Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates and events from the leading Afro-Diaspora publisher straight to your inbox. Simone Biles and Riley Gaines got into an online disagreement […]

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Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles deleting her X following their disagreement over ...





Riley Gaines responds to Simone Biles deleting her X following their disagreement over trans athletes – Face2Face Africa



































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Simone Biles and Riley Gaines got into an online disagreement over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports — Left photo credit: Ocoudis | Right photo credit: Gage Skidmore

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has deleted her X account several days after she and former college swimmer Riley Gaines got into a heated online disagreement over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, the New York Post reported. 

After Gaines, 25, became aware of Biles, 28, deleting her X account, the former said that it was “sad to see such a phenom go down like this.”

“Has an incredibly unpopular and morally indefensible take, gets rightfully ridiculed for it, issues a groveling public apology after unrelenting backlash, deletes account to pretend it never happened,” she added.

Biles’ other social media accounts are, however, still up and rinning. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Gaines has been a staunch advocate for the introduction of policies to control the involvement of transgender women in competitive female sports. Gaines embarked on that campaign in 2022 after she and former University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas both finished fifth in a 200m freestyle race. 

Transgender athletes being allowed to participate in competitive women’s sports has also been a hugely debated topic that has drawn divergent sentiments, and that was what sparked the initial online disagreement between Biles and Gaines. 

Biles deleting her X account also came after she rendered an apology to Gaines on the social media platform following their online feud. 

“I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. 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,” Biles wrote in her post. 

READ ALSO: ‘You have been cruel to me’ – Algerian boxer Imane Khelif calls out Elon Musk

Biles also stated that the issues in question are “sensitive” as well as “complicated,” and she “truly” doesn’t have the “answers or solutions to, but I believe it starts with empathy and respect.”

“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,” she added. 

“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.”

The Olympic gold medalist’s statement came days after she called out Gaines when the former college swimmer responded to a post from a Minnesota high school softball team with a pitcher who is transgender. 

“To be expected when your star player is a boy,” Gaines quoted on the post to highlight the comments being turned off. 

But Biles took issue with her comments and also directly addressed her. “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser,” Biles wrote. “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 things for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”

Biles in another post also wrote, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”

Gaines also fired back. “This is actually so disappointing,” she told Biles in her response. “It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports and I say that with my full chest.”

Despite their initial online spat, Gaines accepted Biles’ apology. “I accept Simone’s apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She’s still the greatest female gymnast of all time,” she wrote on Biles’ post.

Elsewhere in her long post, Gaines said that “women’s sports can’t be used as an excuse for girls to center the feelings and validation of men and boys.” She added: “I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Little girls deserve the same shot to achieve that you had.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria: Popular female transgender celebrity Bobrisky serving sentence in male prison


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OSU Goes Viral for All the Wrong Reasons on TikTok

Oklahoma State football has found its way onto the viral radar this week — but not for anything happening on the field. A recent TikTok clip featuring several players has sparked a wave of secondhand embarrassment across social media, and it’s not the first time the Cowboys have dipped into this territory.   It’s no […]

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OSU Goes Viral for All the Wrong Reasons on TikTok

Oklahoma State football has found its way onto the viral radar this week — but not for anything happening on the field.

A recent TikTok clip featuring several players has sparked a wave of secondhand embarrassment across social media, and it’s not the first time the Cowboys have dipped into this territory.

 

It’s no secret that today’s college athletes live in a digital-first world. NIL, personal branding, and content creation are all part of the game now. But there’s a difference between building a presence and turning heads for all the wrong reasons. Oklahoma State’s latest TikTok appearance is, unfortunately, just painfully cringey.

While some schools have leaned into social media as a way to showcase personality and culture, there’s a fine line between fun and cringe. The Cowboys’ recent posts seem to blur that line in a way that hasn’t exactly resonated with the public. If anything, it’s invited the kind of attention you don’t want heading into the season.

None of this is to say that players shouldn’t express themselves. In fact, personality can go a long way in today’s college football landscape. However, when the content feels more like a distraction than anything else, it can become a little out of hand.

It’s unclear whether the coaching staff is aware of how these clips are being received, but it might be worth a conversation. Not every piece of content needs to go viral, especially when it’s for the wrong reasons.

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Marquette Kids Club raises money for student

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Kids in Marquette raised money for student-athletes on Wednesday. The Marquette Kids Club set up a lemonade stand on the corner of Front St. and Ridge St. in Marquette. The club is donating the money it makes to Ainsley’s HALO, a nonprofit that supports Marquette-area student-athletes and hospitals that fight against […]

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Marquette Kids Club raises money for student

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Kids in Marquette raised money for student-athletes on Wednesday.

The Marquette Kids Club set up a lemonade stand on the corner of Front St. and Ridge St. in Marquette. The club is donating the money it makes to Ainsley’s HALO, a nonprofit that supports Marquette-area student-athletes and hospitals that fight against childhood cancer in honor of Ainsley Kargela.

Volunteers say the Marquette community is very generous.

“I think it says a lot about the people of Marquette,” said Kids Club School Age Program Lead Teacher Sam Cosio. “They’re willing to stop their cars and run across the busy road to help this great cause and talk to these kids and see what it’s all about.”

The Kids Club also said running the stand gave the kids an opportunity to learn about the service industry.

The video above will feature the TV6 livestream until staff can clip the corresponding story, if available, from broadcasts or other TV6 content. You can subscribe to our YouTube page or download TV6+ to stream the latest local news and weather.

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From ColdplayGate to stunning Mia Zelu

In the world that we live in today, there’s no escaping the prying eyes of the digital universe. Over the past seven days, several incidents have gone viral across the digital landscape. But without a shadow of a doubt, it was British band Coldplay’s concert in the United States that truly broke the internet — […]

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From ColdplayGate to stunning Mia Zelu

In the world that we live in today, there’s no escaping the prying eyes of the digital universe.

Over the past seven days, several incidents have gone viral across the digital landscape. But without a shadow of a doubt, it was British band Coldplay’s concert in the United States that truly broke the internet — and not for their music.

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As always, Chris Martin and company rocked the crowd in Boston, Massachusetts. But this time, it was a software company CEO who found himself in the spotlight — quite literally.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was caught on the Jumbotron camera at the Gillette Stadium with his arms around Kristin Cabot, the company’s HR head.

The incident is still racking up millions and millions of views on the internet but there were other incidents too that stole the world wide web.

Here, we bring you a round-up of the stories that went viral over the course of the week.

ColdplayGate

As the Jumbotron camera panned towards a happy and smiling couple, the pair immediately moved away and tried to hide their faces as they appeared on the big screen.

Amused by their reaction, the band’s frontman Martin quipped, “Oh look at these two… either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”

Soon enough, the couple were identified as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR Chief Kristin Cabot. Byron is reportedly married to Megan Kerrigan Byron. The incident is now being dubbed ColdplayGate.

Influencer Mia Zelu goes viral at Wimbledon

A stunning blonde, with blue eyes, stole the limelight during one of the most-watched tennis Grand Slam of the year — Wimbledon.

The lady, who goes by the name Mia Zelu, is an influencer and has a 165,000-strong following. And Mia went viral after posting plenty of photos of herself at The Championships. Except that she isn’t real. Yes, you read it right. Mia is an AI influencer and is a product of an algorithm, with carefully curated Instagram posts involving AI-generated visuals that appear startlingly human, and cleverly crafted captions.

Mia shared photos of her Wimbledon outing, with an inspirational message: “Your time will come. Keep showing up”. Commenters agreed with her caption and engaged with her post.

Apparently, Mia even has a “sister” — Ana Zelu, who boasts 266,000 followers.

‘Aura Farming’ boat kid

A 11-year-old Indonesian boy’s boat-top dance has turned into a global trend, capturing the attention of social media and celebrities, including Travis Kelce and Wiz Khalifa.

Rayyan Arkan Dikha has now become the face of a global trend known as ‘Aura Farming.’

The short clip (circulated on social media with a trending audio), which originated from the Pacu Jalur boat racing festival in Riau, Indonesia, shows 11-year-old Rayyan in traditional attire, swaying to the rhythm with simple, composed hand gestures, his gaze steady and expression unreadable.

Aura Farming is a term born from gamer culture, where “farming” means collecting resources. In social media terms, it’s about projecting a vibe so strong, it earns you admiration, likes, reposts, and ‘aura points’.

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2 Mizzou Track and Field Athletes Earn Academic Honors

Two seniors on the Missouri track and field team were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Second Team on Wednesday — Kristi Perez-Snyman and Callan Saldutto. This honor is awarded to student-athletes who excel in both academic and athletic environments. Saldutto is the third male Tiger to earn this recognition. He is […]

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2 Mizzou Track and Field Athletes Earn Academic Honors

Two seniors on the Missouri track and field team were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Second Team on Wednesday — Kristi Perez-Snyman and Callan Saldutto. This honor is awarded to student-athletes who excel in both academic and athletic environments.

Saldutto is the third male Tiger to earn this recognition. He is the first to accomplish it since Tyler Dailey in 2007. Perez-Snyman is the 13th woman in program history and the first since Karissa Schweizer in 2018. 

Both Perez-Snyman and Saldutto earned high grade point averages, with Perez-Snyman’s 3.96 and Saldutto’s perfect 4.00. The former achieved a master’s degree in natural resources, while the latter received a master’s in accountancy.

Outside of the classroom, the two impressed in the field. Perez-Snyman competes in the women’s high jump, and she finished the outdoor season in sixth place with a distance of 1.87 meters (6-1.5). Saldutto notched a third-place finish in the men’s javelin after throwing a mark of 76.88 meters (252-3).

SEC News

Greg Sankey Says His Piece In Regards To College Football Playoff Expansion

Did you notice?

  • Missouri will hold Mizzou Night on Friday. People are invited to come to Legends Field and support the Kansas City Monarchs baseball team. After the game, there will be a fireworks show.

  • Missouri target Jason Crowe Jr. had a big game during the Peach Jam. Crowe is announcing his decision on where to play Friday.

Mizzou Quote of the Day

“I think that Coach [Norm] Stewart really turned me from a boy into a man. He helped me to be able to have the self-discipline to be a great basketball player, to be a good student, and also to help me decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life.”John Brown

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/missouri as 2 Mizzou Track and Field Athletes Earn Academic Honors: The Buzz.

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'His positivity was half the cure'

Patients, athletes, and colleagues are mourning the loss of Dr Anwar Sadath, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in Dubai, who passed away yesterday, at the age of 49. Dr Sadath was from Kerala and was known for his gentle nature, ethical practice, and deep care for his patients. He was a specialist at Medcare Orthopaedics and […]

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'His positivity was half the cure'

Patients, athletes, and colleagues are mourning the loss of Dr Anwar Sadath, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in Dubai, who passed away yesterday, at the age of 49.

Dr Sadath was from Kerala and was known for his gentle nature, ethical practice, and deep care for his patients. He was a specialist at Medcare Orthopaedics and Spine Hospital and had over 18 years of experience in treating sports injuries, fractures, and trauma cases. For the past 14 years, he was a part of the Aster DM Healthcare group.

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Among those deeply affected by his passing is Indian international handball player Vipin Kumar, who had been receiving treatment from Dr Sadath for many years. “He was more than just a doctor to me. He focused on healing my injuries naturally, through strengthening exercises and avoiding unnecessary surgeries. Whenever I got hurt, he gave me the confidence to recover and keep going. He always reminded me that we were in this together, it was a team effort,” said Vipin.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

Vipin had recently returned from an international handball tournament in Taipei and had met Dr Sadath just days before his death. “He told me he was going on a vacation soon. He was so happy and proud every time I brought home a medal. I even spoke about him during a recent radio interview, thanking him for the role he played in my success,” he added.

Another patient, speaking to Khaleej Times, said Dr Sadath treated everyone like family. “He wasn’t just a doctor; he was a well-wisher. He cared from the heart. He would never suggest unnecessary procedures, and his first step was always to calm us down and lift our spirits before starting any treatment. That positivity alone was half the cure.”

Known for his humility, Dr Sadath had a strong connection with many athletes in the UAE. His colleagues described him as a man with a pure heart who always put his patients first. “He had a gift for making people feel at ease. You walked into his clinic with pain and walked out with hope,” said a colleague.

Dr Sadath is survived by his three children. His sudden passing has left a void in the medical and sports community.

He is being laid to rest after Asr prayer at Al Qusais Cemetery, with many of his patients and well-wishers attending the funeral.

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Cecconi has career night in Guardians' 8

Johnathan Rodríguez hit his first home run in the majors, Slade Cecconi went a career-long 8 1/3 innings and the Guardians beat the Athletics, 8-6, on July 18. David Fry also went deep and José Ramírez added a pair of extra-base hits to help the Guardians win for the seventh time in eight games following […]

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Cecconi has career night in Guardians' 8

Johnathan Rodríguez hit his first home run in the majors, Slade Cecconi went a career-long 8 1/3 innings and the Guardians beat the Athletics, 8-6, on July 18.

David Fry also went deep and José Ramírez added a pair of extra-base hits to help the Guardians win for the seventh time in eight games following a 10-game losing streak.

Athletics’ All-Star Brent Rooker hit his 100th career home run. Shea Langeliers added a solo shot in the seventh inning.

Cecconi (5-4) allowed six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts. The right-hander retired the first 12 Athletics he faced before Rooker led off the fifth with a solo shot to left.

Cecconi looked like he would throw his first complete game, but Nick Kurtz and Rooker opened the ninth inning with triples and Langeliers had an RBI double with one out to chase Cecconi.

Miguel Andujar got the Athletics within two runs on an RBI double off Emmanuel Clase, but the right-hander struck out Max Muncy and Denzel Clarke for his 21st save in 25 opportunities.

Rodríguez came into the game 11 for 81 in two big-league seasons before he drove a fastball from JP Sears (7-8) into the bleachers in left-center field in the second inning.

The Guardians broke it open with four runs in the third, including an RBI hit from Angel Martinez, Fry’s two-run homer and Carlos Santana’s sacrifice fly to bring in Ramírez.

Key moment

Cleveland extended its lead to 7-0 in the fourth inning on a two-run double by Brayan Rocchio.

Key stat

It is the first big-league home victory of Cecconi’s career. He was 0-6 with a 7.39 ERA in 17 home games, including 11 starts, in three seasons with Arizona and Cleveland coming into the game.

Up next

RHP Luis Severino (2-11, 5.16 ERA) goes for the Athletics while Cleveland counters with LHP Logan Allen (6-7, 4.00 ERA) on July 19.

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