Lawsuit plaintiff beats transgender entrant
A female high school student defeated a transgender athlete in a Connecticut state championship race, just two days after a lawsuit was filed in an effort to block transgender athletes from participating in girls sports in the state.
Chelsea Mitchell, of Canton High School, won the Class S 55-meter dash title on Friday night with a time of 7.18 seconds, edging Terry Miller of Bloomfield High School. Miller, a transgender athlete, finished at 7.20 seconds.
The families of Mitchell and two other female high school runners filed the federal lawsuit on Wednesday, arguing that allowing athletes with male anatomy to compete has deprived them of track titles and scholarship opportunities.
The lawsuit centers on Miller and another transgender sprinter, Andraya Yearwood, of Cromwell High School, who have frequently outperformed their cisgender competitors. The two seniors have combined to win 15 girls state indoor or outdoor championships since 2017, according to the lawsuit.
The Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference says its policy follows a state anti-discrimination law that says students must be treated in school by the gender with which they identify and the group believes the policy is “appropriate under both state and federal law.”
World speedskating records established
Russian speedskaters Pavel Kulizhnikov and Natalia Voronina broke world records Saturday on the third day of the ISU World Single Distances Championships at the Utah Olympic Oval.
Kulizhnikov earned gold in the 1,000 meters with a world record time of 1:05.69. He eclipsed the previous record of 1:06.18 by Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands.
Nuis took silver, finishing in 1:06.73. Canadian Laurent Dubreuil earned bronze in 1:06.76.
Voronia set a world record and earned gold in the 5,000 in 6:39.21. She beat a record of 6:41.18 set by Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic earlier in the race.
Sablikova broke her own previous world record time of 6:42.01 en route to earning silver. Netherlands’ Esmee Visser finished in 6:46.68 to take bronze.
Rudolph’s agent: Garrett legally liable
The agent for Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph says Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett opened himself up for potential legal action after reiterating his claim that Rudolph used a racial slur shortly before their infamous brawl in November.
During an interview with ESPN, his first since being hit with a suspension after slugging Rudolph in the head with Rudolph’s own helmet in the final seconds of a Browns win on Nov. 14, Garrett said Rudolph called the defensive end “the N-word.”
Rudolph, as he did when Garrett made the claim while appealing the suspension in November, called the allegation “a disgusting and reckless attempt to assassinate my character.” Tim Younger, Rudolph’s agent, went a step further. Because Garrett conducted the interview in California, Younger said Garrett’s “defamatory statement” has now exposed the former No. 1 pick to “legal liability.”
The NFL said there was no evidence of Rudolph using a slur when it handed out an indefinite suspension to Garrett, a suspension which ended when he was reinstated earlier this week. Garrett, however, hinted the league may know more that it has revealed.
New vault mark set
Armand Duplantis set the world pole vault record on Saturday for the second time in eight days.
The American-born Swede eclipsed his own mark by a centimeter when he vaulted 6.18 meters (20’ 3 1/4’’) at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix. He opened at 5.50 meters and then got over 5.75 on his second try. Two-time world champion Sam Kendricks led at that point, but exited the competition at 5.84.
Duplantis sailed over with his first attempt at 5.84. With no one else left in the event, he also flew over at 6.00.
The 20-year-old vaulter had the bar moved up to 6.18 and one attempt was all he needed. Duplantis also set the record in Torun, Poland.