(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Arizona 7, Boston 5 NY Yankees 10, Colorado 3 St. Louis 3, Minnesota 2 Philadelphia 11, Kansas City 3 LA Dodgers 3, Tampa Bay 1 Oakland 4, Milwaukee 3 Seattle 4, San Francisco 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE Cleveland 4, Texas 2 Toronto 8 LA Angels 2 Detroit 9, Chi White Sox 4 Houston 6 Baltimore 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE Washington 5, Atlanta 1 Miami 7, Chi Cubs 2 Pittsburgh 4, Cincinnati 3 San Diego 3, NY Mets 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON Tennessee 30, New Orleans 27 Denver 38, Arizona 12 Washington 20, New England 10
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Las Vegas 77, Chicago 75 Dallas 113, Los Angeles 110
(PARIS) — This year’s U.S. Olympic team has a star-studded cast of LGBTQ athletes headed to Paris.
At least 29 competitors are prepared to take on the international games, according to a database compiled by LGBTQ news outlet OutSports.
These athletes are just a handful of the LGBTQ representation to expect at the Olympic Games. OutSports recorded at least 151 LGBTQ athletes representing countries around the world that are set to take up the competition in Paris.
For the U.S., that representation will shine in sports across the athletic spectrum — from basketball to rowing to rugby — putting a spotlight on a community facing growing anti-LGBTQ sentiment across the globe.
“LGBTQ athletes have likely competed in the Olympics and Paralympics since the very first games in history, ” said LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD in a statement. “Today, more athletes than ever are comfortable being out as their true, authentic selves and are embraced and supported by fans, fellow competitors, and sponsors.”
On the track — and in the field — you’ll find some newly minted Olympians to watch and some fan favorites aiming for gold.
Here are some U.S. LGBTQ athletes taking on the Athletics program this summer:
Nikki Hiltz, a transgender and nonbinary athlete, will be competing in the 1500-meter race as the U.S. record holder in the mile and 2023 national champion in the 1500-meter.
“I just feel so grateful for all the queer and trans people who have come before me,” Hiltz, 29, told ABC News in an interview. “I want to be that for the next generation. And yeah, it’s — it’s hard to be something that you can’t see. And so I just think representation and visibility is what helped me so much growing up. So, yeah, I just want to do that for even just one kid who watches the Olympics, maybe sees themselves in me, like it’ll be all worth it.”
Hiltz was awarded by the LGBTQ sport advocacy group Athlete Ally this year for their activism promoting inclusivity on the track and fundraising to support the next generation of LGBTQ athletes in the sport, which includes the creation of a Pride 5K to raise money for LGBTQ nonprofits.
“The global athletic community changes for the better when pioneers like Nikki Hiltz pave the way forward by being proudly and authentically who they are,” said Hudson Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally. “Nikki is a true champion for inclusion on and off the track, and we’re thrilled to honor them at the Action Awards.”
Sha’Carri Richardson, an openly bisexual woman, will be competing in the 100-meter dash at this year’s Paris games.
Richardson, 24, began her rise to stardom in 2019, when she broke two world records in the under-20 athletics age category at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.
Now, she’s the fastest woman in the world, winning the 100-meter dash at world and U.S. competitions in 2023.
Richardson’s win at this year’s U.S. Olympic trials was recorded as the fastest women’s time in the competition by any woman this year, according to World Athletics.
Nico Young, who is the first out gay man on the U.S. Olympic track team, will be competing in the 10,000-meter run at the age of 21.
Young is a two-time NCAA Indoor Champion, winning the 3,000 meter and the 5,000 meter, according to Team USA. He is also a two-time NCAA Cross-Country Champion.
Raven Saunders, an out lesbian who goes by they/them pronouns, is already a two-time Olympian and one-time Olympic silver medalist in shot put.
Saunders, 28, began throwing shot put and discus in the ninth grade and set the all-time national high school girls record in the shot put, according to Team USA. Looking back, Saunders is an athletic success story as they head to their third Olympic Games.
“Young and old black people you are beautiful you are worthy you are amazing!!!!” read their post on Instagram of the symbol. “LGBTQIA people you are beautiful you are worthy you are amazing!!! If you are mentally struggling no matter who and where you in the are in world I SEE YOU, IM FIGHTING FOR YOU and I NEED, GOD, I NEED YOU TO KEEP FIGHTING FOR YOURSELF!!!”
AMERICAN LEAGUE Boston Red Sox 9, Kansas City Royals 5 Texas Rangers 4, Houston Astros 3 Chicago White Sox 1, Oakland Athletics 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE N.Y. Mets 6, St. Louis Cardinals 0 San Francisco Giants 4, Washington Nationals 1 Cincinnati Reds 10, Miami Marlins 3 Philadelphia Phillies 3, L.A. Dodgers 5
U.S. Olympian Lauren Scruggs poses for a photo at the USA House at Paris 2024 on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC)
(PARIS) — Star fencer Lauren Scruggs knew that she would be making history heading into her gold medal matchup against fellow American Lee Kiefer in the women’s individual foil final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But the gravity of the moment still would leave her in a state of “disbelief.”
“I thought I was dreaming,” Scruggs told ABC News, recounting the hour leading up to the final. “I never expected to make it that far.”
Though Scruggs came up short of the gold on July 28, losing to Kiefer 15-6 at the revered Grand Palais, Scruggs made history as the first Black American woman to win an individual medal in fencing.
It also marked the first time American women won both gold and silver Olympic medals at individual foil fencing.
At 21, Scruggs is a rising senior at Harvard with an already well-accomplished resume in fencing at the collegiate level, including First Team All-American, according to her Olympic bio.
As a New York City native, she is also a mentor with the Peter Westbrook Foundation, which teaches fencing to underserved communities.
The founder, Peter Westbrook, has quite the history himself. Considered a “legend” among American Olympic fencers, he won a bronze medal in fencing at the 1984 Summer Olympics and competed in four other Games.
Due to a medical illness, however, Westbrook was not able to travel to Paris to see Scruggs win her silver Olympic medal, but she credits him with having a profound impact on her career.
“I think he’s a big reason why I am where I am today,” Scruggs said.
Scruggs hopes her achievements can help spotlight Black participation in the sport.
“I think my success in fencing has helped break stereotypes about what Black people can do and who can be a fencer,” she said.
