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Sprinters catch up with Flo-Jo’s hallowed 100, 200 world records that have stood since 1988

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For generations of girls’s 100-meter sprinters, 10.49 seconds is the world record they have been chasing since 1988.

For Al Joyner, it is time he sees all over the place he looks. Like in the future when he was considering auctioning off a pair of his late wife Florence Griffith Joyner’s spikes and happened to glance on the clock.

It read 10:49.

“I think in moments like this she asks, ‘Hello, how are you?’ I’m still here,” Joyner said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press.

The aura and records of Griffith Joyner hang over the track to this present day. Known for her long and colourful nails, striking outfits and funky nickname “Flo-Jo”, in 1988 she experienced a magical run that once more entered the record books. During the Olympic Games within the USA, she set a results of 100, 10.49, and on her technique to the gold medal on the Olympic Games in Seoul, she exceeded 200, 21.34.

It seemed as if the records would never be broken. However, Flo-Jo’s performance appears to be close by on the Paris Olympics this summer. A gaggle of sprinters jump out of the blocks, not seeing an intimidating time, but fairly a record that must be broken.

“I mean (a few) years ago I would have said, ‘No, it’ll never happen,'” American Gabby Thomas said last season’s record 200. “With technology and the way our competitors operate? Absolutely. … Maybe I’m crazy enough to believe this could happen in the next few years.”

Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson nearly broke Flo-Jo’s 200-meter mark on the world championships in Budapest, Hungary last summer, posting a time of 21.41 seconds, the second-fastest time ever.

Joyner’s take? Go get it. Because he would love to see it.

“I remember Florence being asked if anyone had broken her records and how she would feel,” said Joyner, whose wife died in her sleep in 1998 on the age of 38 after an epileptic seizure. “She said she can be sad but pleased because records are supposed to be broken. But it could be like losing your best friend.

Of the ten fastest times within the 200, five were set by Jackson, two by Thomas and one by Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, and the remaining two were by Griffith Joyner.

At the championships, Jackson wrote her race number twice before the competition – at 9:40 p.m. (she almost predicted her time) and one other one that she didn’t reveal.

Of course, it would have had something to do with Griffith Joyner’s days.

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“When I crossed the finish line and saw the time, I believed, ‘I’m close. I’m close,” Jackson said after the race.

In the 100m, Thompson-Herah – a two-time defending Olympic champion in each sprints – was just shy of Flo-Jo’s mark in 2021 with a time of 10.54 seconds, the just one to interrupt 10.50 seconds – or lower – apart from Griffith Joyner. That is, in winds considered legal (2.0 meters per second or less).

Thompson-Herah looked like she could break the record in Paris, but her health could also be an element. She gave the impression to be injured on the finish line of Sunday’s USATF New York Grand Prix.

The 37-year-old Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce can be on the decline, whose best end in her profession is 10.60 seconds. Another one that could lower the bar is American Sha’Carri Richardson, the present 100-meter world champion with a larger-than-life personality who could develop into the world’s next big sprint star. Richardson ran 10.57 seconds in the course of the competition on April 8, 2023, however the wind exceeded the legal limit. Her best allowable time within the wind competition at August’s world championships was 10.65, beating Jackson and Fraser-Pryce.

“I see a new generation of Flo-Jos,” said Joyner, the 1984 Olympic triple jump champion. “The legacy she left behind, which she didn’t even know she was leaving, is that her dreams became the dreams of many, many ladies. …Because she all the time hoped they’d take greater steps, because she never wanted them to be like her. She wanted them to be higher than her.

Griffith Joyner’s record of 100 points was set on a windy day in Indianapolis, but officials ruled it as legal wind. She overtook Evelyn Ashford, who achieved a results of 10.76 in 1984.

Since then, few have come near touching the Flo-Jo mark. For comparison, since 1988 the lads’s record has been lowered a dozen times to its current level – 9.58 by Usain Bolt in 2009.

“One of Florence’s most famous slogans was to believe in the impossible,” Joyner said. “You set your own standard, and when you set it and exceed it, that’s when records are broken and amazing things happen.”

In those days, there was the specter of doping (Griffith Joyner passed every drug test). The only individual women’s running records that have been within the books longer are the 400 meters (Marita Koch of the GDR, 1985) and the 800 meters (Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechoslovakia, 1983).

Joyner saw Flo-Jo as a sprinter who never limited her performance.

Today he sees sprinters who don’t need to set limits.

“It’s not, ‘Oh, this is such a scary record,’” Joyner said. “These records will be broken. I do not know when. But they will be broken.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Beyoncé’s Mom Tina Knowles Responds to Dolly Parton After CMA Skip Was Called ‘Fake’

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Tina Knowles is denying speculation that she responded to legendary country artist Dolly Parton in defense of her daughter.

Just two days after Parton attempted to deny rumors that the Country Music Awards had stripped Beyoncé of her nominations for Cowboy Carter , an Instagram comment that appeared to come from Knowles’ verified account went viral in response to Parton’s post.

But not so fast! Mama Tina now claims: “It’s a fake, not from me!”

Beyonce's mom responds to Dolly Parton
Tina Knowles is criticizing a post by which she claims to have responded to Dolly Parton for omitting Beyonce on “Cowboy Carter.” (Photo: @mstinaknowles; @beyonce/Instagram; @Dollyparton/Instagram.)

The “fake” comment was concerning the “Here You Come Again” singer and was originally shared by The Neighborhood Talk, who later deleted their post.

The comment read: “Oh Ms. Dolly, we love you, but Bey has spent her ENTIRE life working hard since she was 9! She has country roots too. She has mastered her craft and broken records in EVERY genre. So to say she hasn’t ‘spent her life’ in country music is to diminish all the work she has put in.”

It continued: “Bey doesn’t have to stick to one lane to earn respect – her talent and work ethic speak for themselves! She puts in the work, and no one else is asked to ‘spend their life’ in one place to be appreciated! #been country.”

Before the post was deemed fake, it sparked some debate on the topic. Some people supported what they saw as Knowles’ retort, including one one who said, “This just goes to show that white women will always be white women. No matter who they are.”

Another person compared the CMAs’ treatment of the “Irreplaceable” singer to the way in which they treat white hip-hop artist Post Malone, who also appeared in “Cowboy Carter” and who coincidentally receive 4 nominations after releasing his first country album this yr.

“If Post Malone could make the jump from hip-hop to country, then Beyoncé should be able to do the exact same thing! It’s not even about whether you think her album is good or not, it’s unfair to be written off because you’re Beyoncé.”

Tina Knowles says Dolly Parton’s retort is allegedly false. @theneighborhoodtalk/Instagram

Others respectfully sided with Parton. One person said, “Mom… Ms. Dolly is right. It was a special album. And an album that doesn’t deserve an award just because it’s Beyonce.”

Another wrote: “Dolly Parton was polite and tried to be honest about how it went down. I don’t think she meant any harm or had much love for Beyonce from a public perspective. I think Ms. Tina could have handled it differently, but I understand she’s a mama bear too. It’s just a trophy at the end of the day.”

Beyoncé released her first country album, “Cowboy Carter,” in March, years after having an experience on the 2016 CMAs where she “didn’t feel welcome.” The Houston-born artist performed her first country song, “Daddy Lessons,” alongside The Chicks, formerly referred to as The Dixie Chicks. Despite receiving much praise for her performance, she was also met with boos from the audience and racist tweets from onlookers.

So when the awards show didn’t include her in any of the categories nominated this yr, the Beyhive immediately called it a foul. But Parton doesn’t imagine the omission was “intentional.”

In response to Parton’s allegations he said Variety September 17: “Well, you never know. There are so many great country artists that I think probably in the country music community, they probably thought, well, we can’t leave out some of these guys who dedicate their whole lives to this.”

She later added, “So I don’t think it was a matter of cutting myself off, of intentionally doing it. I think it was just more of what the country charts were doing and country artists who were doing it all the time, rather than just a special album.”

Overall, Parton showed great love for Beyoncé and gave her permission for the project. She even appears twice on the album, and a song is called after her.

“But it was a great album,” she said. She could be very, very pleased with it, and I believe everyone in country music welcomed it with open arms and thought it was good.”


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Fans warn Shedeur Sanders to beware of Kardashian curse after Colorado star spotted with Kendall Jenner

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Deion and Shedeur Sanders call out constant disrespect from their doubters.

Shedeur Sanders has been generating quite a bit of buzz recently and is claimed to be a highly anticipated prospect in next 12 months’s NFL Draft.

But being the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback and son of former NFL player and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders also brings with it a potentially unwanted highlight. Shedeur’s clip goes viral after the 22-year-old was spotted embracing Kendall Jenner.

Deion Sanders' son Shedeur defends his father's coaching skills after criticism from former athletes.
Deion Sanders’ son Shedeur speaks out in defense of his father’s coaching skills after being criticized by former athletes. (Photo: @deionsanders/Instagram)

The content creator posted the clip and wrote, “Shedeur Sanders met up with Kendall Jenner, who was recently in Boulder.” Jenner was in Boulder — the house of the University of Colorado — because she was traveling to different cities to promote her brand of liqueur 818 Tequila.

Since the video only shows Jenner’s upper body and Shedeur’s back, who happened to be wearing a hoodie, it’s unclear if she was serving drinks during their meeting, but it surely appeared he was waiting in line to greet her. After a couple of people in front of him moved out of the way in which, he went over to hug Jenner and said, “How are you?” before the video ended.

Many fans warned Shedeur against getting close to Jenner.

One person said, “Nothing good happens when a BLACK athlete dates a Kardashian/Jenner,” and one other said, “Oh no. I’m scolding, I’m scolding!”

A 3rd person wrote: “Stay away from our quarterback. Kardashian/Jenner can’t remember the last athlete who had a successful relationship with one of these girls.”

Of all five Kardashian-Jenner girls, Khloé and Kendall have mostly dated NBA players. Khloé, who’s best known for her marriage and divorce from NBA player Lamar Odom, dated Minnesota Timberwolves player Rashad McCants from 2008 to 2009. He was then traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he played just one season and was never drafted by one other team.

Speaking to Charlotte’s Observer in 2017, McCants said his relationship with Khloé made people query his commitment to the NBA. “Without that in-game situation, I’m a $60-70 million player,” McCants said. “Easily.”

Later in 2009, after only one month of dating, Khloe married Los Angeles Lakers star Odom. The two documented their wedding on the truth show Khloe and Lamar, but their relationship began to crumble, and Odom’s secret struggles with substance abuse began to come to light in 2013. Later that 12 months, Odom was arrested for driving under the influence. From 2011 to 2014, he played for the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, after which the LA Clippers before becoming a free agent. He then went to the EuroLeague, where he played in two games before injuring his back.

Then in April 2014 he signed with the Knicks before the team waived it in July of the identical 12 months.

Then there’s Khloé’s infamous relationship with Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star had two children with Thompson, but their relationship was severely strained by Thompson’s repeated infidelities. Nevertheless, Thompson’s 13-year NBA profession didn’t end there, and he’s currently on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster.

As for her younger sister Kendall, she briefly dated Brooklyn Nets player Ben Simmons from 2018 to 2019. Simmons was named Rookie of the Year in 2018 and an All-Star in 2019. However, the next seasons became difficult for Simmons after his Philadelphia 76ers team lost to the Atlanta Hawks within the Eastern Conference semifinals in an especially close seven-game series in 2021. He apparently felt that blamed for the Game 7 loss, Simmons never played for the 76ers again before being traded to Brooklyn. He ultimately missed the whole 2021-22 season, even after arriving in Brooklyn mid-season. Since then, battling knee and back injuries — which resulted in each knee and back surgeries — Simmons has played in only 57 games over the past three seasons.

Following this relationship, Kendall dated Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker for 2 years from 2020 to 2022.

It is currently unclear what her relationship status is, but it surely looks like she is likely to be rekindling her relationship with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny in 2023. They were spotted together in Paris, holding hands in June of this 12 months.

Shedeur’s relationship status is uncertain, because it appears he and actress Storm Reid have quietly split after making their red carpet debut last 12 months.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Kamala Harris’ Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour Turns Into ‘Scandal’ Cast Reunion

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Gladiators reunite within the name of democracy.

The solid of Shonda Rhimes’ hit series Scandal will reunite to affix Vice President Kamala Harris and her partner Tim Walz in Michigan for his or her Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour. Actors Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Guillermo Díaz, Bellamy Young, Katie Lowes, Dan Bucatinsky, Scott Foley, Portia de Rossi, George Newbern, Jeff Perry and Cornelius Smith Jr. will join Harris-Walz for the campaign launch in Madison Heights.

According to The Hollywood ReporterThe solid’s appearance on the political tour is an element of the Democratic presidential candidate’s technique to win the 2024 election. According to the Harris-Walz campaign, the tour’s mission is to “highlight the stark contrast between Vice President Harris and Governor Walz, who will restore Roe v. Wade protections when Congress passes legislation to that effect, and Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, who will enact their dangerous Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to contraceptives, force states to report women’s miscarriages and abortions, and threaten access to in vitro fertilization.”

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The Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour, which kicks off September 3 in Florida, plans to go to key states across the country to debate the stakes of reproductive rights with Democratic and Republican communities. During the last presidential debate, attention focused on abortion rights and in vitro fertilization (IVF), as Harris pledged to revive nationwide reproductive rights, while Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump refused to commit to vetoing a nationwide abortion ban if he wins the election.

In August, “Scandal” stars Washington and Goldwyn, known for his or her iconic roles as Olivia Pope and fictional President Fitzgerald Grant, thrilled fans by reuniting to co-host the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Over the years, Washington has develop into known for her political advocacy. As a Democratic supporter, the actress has not only partnered with nonprofits to debate abortion rights, but additionally launched her own nonprofit, Influence Change, which “recruits other artists to promote civic engagement.”

“Democracies work best when everyone votes. As a public figure, it’s important to me to remind people of their political power and share any information I have that helps them step into their power,” she said, as previously reported by theGrio. “Artists, musicians, athletes, actors and creators have a unique opportunity to encourage voters. The combined reach of our networks can be used to inspire participation and ensure that more people take their rightful place as active participants in our democracy. I’m not speaking out because I’m an artist; I’m speaking out because I’m an American.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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