Olympics

A man is suing skateboarding star Nyjah Huston -- after he says the 27-year-old X Games athlete beat him up during an altercation in Los Angeles earlier this summer.

Alexander Pou filed the lawsuit Wednesday -- alleging the incident happened back on June 6 after Huston and a friend went to Pou's house to retrieve an item they had left the night before.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Pou alleges he tried to help Huston find the item ... but when their search was unsuccessful, the skateboarder "became verbally abusive."

Pou claims Huston then "suddenly and without warning" began attacking him, causing injuries.

To make matters worse, Pou says as Huston got in his friend's car to leave the scene -- the friend tried to run him over ... all while Huston "continued to verbally assault" Pou.

Pou is suing for unspecified damages.

This is not the first time Huston has faced a lawsuit alleging he got violent with somebody ... back in 2017, a man claimed the skater broke his nose in a fight at a house party.

Olympic sprinter and former Texas A&M star Shavez Hart was tragically shot and killed after allegedly trying to break up a fight outside of a nightclub in the Bahamas on Saturday. He was only 29 years old.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police, the incident happened in Mount Hope, North Abaco (about 120 miles north of Nassau) around 2 AM.

The report states a group of males got into a physical altercation in the parking lot when one male -- who left and returned with a gun -- opened fire, hitting Hart in the chest.

Hart was transported to the Marsh Harbour Clinic where he was pronounced dead ... just days before his 30th birthday.

The Bahamas Olympic Committee released a statement on Shavez's passing ... saying, "The Olympic family is saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Shavez Hart, a proud native of Abaco."

"He was always very humble, yet proud and determined to offer the very best of himself for the sake of country."

Hart was the third fastest Bahamian sprinter of all time in the 100m dash ... and won the silver medal in the 4x400m relay in the 2016 Indoor World Championship.

Before that, Hart was a Texas A&M star ... winning several competitions, including the gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championship and the 100m at the 2015 SEC Outdoor Championship.

"This is so tragic," Aggie track and field head coach Pat Henry said.

"Shavez Hart was of course one of our finest athletes ever, but he was one of the kindest people I have met, and such a soft-spoken man."

RBPF says a suspect has been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.

Hailey Davidson -- the transgender golfer aiming to make the LPGA Tour -- tells TMZ Sports she's very grateful for Caitlyn Jenner's support this week ... but she's striving to have a further chat with the former Olympian with the hopes that it will help "clear up some assumptions" going forward.

Jenner threw her support behind Davidson on Fox News on Wednesday, saying she believed Davidson -- unlike transgender swimmer Lia Thomas -- had no unfair advantage over her female opponents because "golf is a totally different game."

Davidson called Jenner's backing "awesome" ... but tells us she did find at least part of the conversation as a whole "a bit vague."

Specifically, the 29-year-old, who underwent gender reassignment surgery last year, says she wished Jenner had left out the sweeping assumption that she can still crush a golf ball.

"My big thing is just, I appreciate the love and support, but definitely to clear up some assumptions would be awesome," she said.

"Because I definitely don't hit it as far as people say. Like, nowhere close."

Davidson said she's reached out to Jenner in an attempt to have a conversation with her about it all. She's yet, though, to hear back.

But if the conversation does take place, Davidson tells us she's hopeful Jenner would hear her out about her golf game ... and more.

"I would love to talk to her in regards to more about how we are athletes and her experience may not be everyone's experience," she said.

"Everyone's experiences are different and everyone's built different. With what she was training to do, yeah, I'm pretty sure she's pretty big and strong."

Davidson said she, however, is not necessarily like that. In fact, she tells us after undergoing hormone treatment, she's lost a ton of power and clubhead speed.

Ultimately, Davidson said she's just hoping everyone can one day be treated equally.

"I understand [Caitlyn's] point that golf is a little different," she said. "But again, all sports are really the same in the end when it comes to the athlete."

If you haven't taken Cody Simpson's swimming career seriously yet, you definitely should now -- the singer will be representing Australia in a stacked head-to-head meet with the United States this month ... proving he's among the top talents in his country.

It's been a helluva year in the pool for Simpson -- the 25-year-old is fresh off winning a gold and a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games earlier this month ... after placing first in the 4x100 freestyle relay and second in the 4x100 medley relay.

The hot streak will continue for the former swimming prodigy-turned-teenage heartthrob ... as he's been selected to compete for his home country in a big exhibition against the United States -- the Duel In The Pool.

The event is set to go down at Sydney Olympic Park on August 20 and 21 ... and Australia head coach Rohan Taylor says those picked to compete should be honored.

"Any Australian team you make is special, but when presented with the opportunity to face our greatest rival in front of a home crowd I know these athletes will step up to the challenge," Taylor said. "Pressure is a privilege, and it is one we embrace."

Remember, Simpson just decided to get serious about swimming again back in 2020 ... and his personal best times have been drastically improving ever since.

A track meet in Colombia turned NSFW real quick on Thursday ... when Italian decathlete Alberto Nonino's junk popped out in the middle of a race.

The unfortunate moment happened in the 400-meter event at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali ... when Nonino was forced to lose his spot at the front of the pack and cover up his privates several times before crossing the finish line.

While the mishap will naturally have some folks giggling and blushing, Nonino went to social media to explain he wasn't in the laughing mood after the race.

"I just want to talk to you a little bit about the rumpus there’s been on blogs and social media in general," Nonino said on Instagram. "I'm conscious it was obviously an accident and I'd like to tell you I’m aware of the reaction and you don't need to send me the links to the blogs out there."

"I'm trying to laugh about it now but immediately afterwards I felt terrible and I'm thankful to my friends and family for helping me get over what happened a few hours later."

The wardrobe malfunction is similar to NFL star Chris Jones' experience at the 2016 NFL combine ... when his own manhood made an appearance during his 40-yard dash.

Tsudoi Miyazaki -- a Japanese triathlete and aspiring Olympian -- was tragically killed on Wednesday after she was struck by a car while training on her bike in France.

She was only 25.

The terrible incident happened near Orleans (almost two hours south of Paris) where Miyazaki was staying for a triathlon training camp at an overseas base, according to the Triathlon website.

Miyazaki was out riding on her bike for practice when she was hit by a car ... and sadly, she did not survive the accident.

"World Triathlon and the Japan Triathlon Union want to offer our deepest condolences to Ms. Miyazaki family, friends, coaches and teammates," the org. said in a statement.

"The thoughts of all the Triathlon Family are with you all in these terrible times."

This deadly accident comes just days after Miyazaki competed in the Pontevedra World Cup in Spain -- in fact, her last IG post was about the race and how she "hadn't reached my level yet!"

"It was a good experience and I hope it doesn't end, and I'm going to use what I feel next," Miyazaki said in the caption.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the challenge. Thank you for your support."

During her career -- which started when she was in college -- Miyazaki won the Japan U23 Triathlon Championships in 2019 and was aiming to make it to the 2024 Olympics in Paris and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The crash is under investigation by the French authorities.

Hope Solo has pleaded guilty to DWI -- over three months after she was arrested in North Carolina for driving while intoxicated with her children in the car.

The former U.S. women's national team goalkeeper made the plea in a Forsyth County courtroom on Monday after cutting a deal with prosecutors, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

In exchange for the guilty plea, we're told the two other charges she was facing in the case -- one count of child abuse and one count of resisting arrest -- were dismissed.

The judge gave Solo a 24-month suspended sentence. She was also ordered to pay fines and fees, and comply with the terms of a substance abuse assessment.

As part of the sentence, we're told Solo has already completed a 30-day, in-patient rehabilitation program at the Hope Valley treatment facility in North Carolina earlier this summer.

Following the plea in court, Solo released a lengthy statement on her social media page ... admitting "I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become."

"The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly," the 40-year-old added. "Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful."

"I continue to be a student of the greatest school called life and I will continue to learn and grow from these experiences. I will continue to gain empathy, knowledge, and stories to share."

"I consider this a gift to pass it on to others because pain shared is pain lessened."

We broke the story ... Solo was arrested back on March 31 after cops say they found her passed out behind the wheel of her car in a Walmart parking lot while her two children were in the vehicle with her. Cops say during the stop, she displayed signs of impairment and reeked of booze. They added that she had refused sobriety tests at the scene.

Ukrainian Olympic gymnast Ruslan Mezentsev is auctioning one of his most precious belongings -- his silver medal -- and donating all the money to his home country ... so they have money to fund the fight against Russia.

Mezentsev competed in the men's artistic all-around competition in Sydney in 2000 ... personally taking part in the floor exercise, pommel horse, and still rings.

Ruslan scored a total of 28.725 ... bringing the team's total to 230.306, good enough for a silver medal. The Ukrainians finished just 1.613 points behind China ... who won the gold.

Now, that silver medal is on the auction block at RR Auction ... where it already has 8 bids. The current price is $3,000 ... but expect that to rise!

Mezentsev -- who's now 41 years old -- is from a town called Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine.

RR says not only will all of the money from the sale be donated to the war funds ... but even the buyer's premium (the money that typically goes to the auction).

LSU star gymnast Olivia "Livvy" Dunne ditched the leotards and the balance beams for pom poms and a cheerleader 'fit for Walker Hayes' new music video -- and she crushed the role!

Hayes -- one of the biggest stars in today's country music scene -- dropped his vid for his hit song "Y'all Life" on Friday ... and Dunne made several appearances in it.

Throughout the football-themed video, the athlete and social media star -- who has 5.6 million followers on TikTok and another 1.9 million on Instagram -- flipped on the sidelines and cheered on the fake action on the field.

Hayes, meanwhile, sang about growing up in the South as one of the team's coaches.

Dunne was pumped to see the final results drop on Friday ... writing on her social media page, "Thank you @walkerhayes for including me in your music video for Y'all Life!"

The cameo is just the latest cool thing to go down in Dunne's life -- Livvy, one of the best gymnasts in the country, signed massive NIL deals in the past year and has appeared in multiple ads and commercials recently as well.

Positive update from Kim Glass ... the former Olympic volleyball star got 40 stitches removed from her eye -- less than a week after it was gashed by an object thrown by a man in a brazen attack in Los Angeles.

The 37-year-old shared the news in a video on her Instagram page Wednesday evening -- showing Beverly Hills doctor Kam Rezzadeh removing the sutures from her face in a delicate procedure.

"It was definitely down to your bone," the doc told her as he worked on her face. "But you're healing."

"One thing I've noticed with my patients is that when they're optimistic, it plays a huge part in the healing process."

Following the removal of the stitches, Glass went to Dr. Nicole Garrett in L.A. to use a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to get some of the swelling down -- and the former outside hitter said it worked marvelously.

"I just got out of the hyperbaric chamber ... this is the most I've ever been able to open eye."

"This is crazy," she added. "Like my eye is literally so much more open than before and this is my first session. I'm blown away!"

As we previously reported, Glass said a homeless man threw a metal object at her after she had finished eating with a friend in Downtown L.A. last Friday. She said she suffered multiple facial fractures and cuts in the incident.

Benson Parks, a good Samaritan, captured the aftermath of the attack on video while he held down the suspect ... showing puddles of blood on the sidewalk.

Semeon Tesfamarian -- who, according to prosecutors, has a history of using weapons to attack people at random -- was arrested for the attack ... and later charged with a felony.

Video taken in the seconds after Kim Glass was attacked on the streets of Downtown L.A. has emerged ... and it shows blood was spattered everywhere near the former volleyball star as she sat injured on the sidewalk.

Benson Parks captured the footage on his phone over the weekend, just moments after Glass, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had apparently been struck by a heavy object thrown by a homeless man who was standing near her in the street.

You can see in the clips, there were several pools of blood near Glass, who was holding a bandage near her eye and yelling in pain.

The video also shows Parks holding down the man who was suspected of throwing the object.

As we reported, Glass claims the incident happened after she had finished dining with a friend.

"He just like looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes," Glass said of the attack. "And, as I turned to go tell my friend, 'I think something's, like, wrong with him and I think he's going to hit a car,' before I knew it, a big metal bolt, like pipe, hit me right here."

"It happened so fast."

37-year-old Glass said she suffered multiple facial fractures and needed several stitches to close the gashes on her face ... though, thankfully, she added doctors were optimistic her vision would eventually return to normal.

The suspect, meanwhile, was arrested by the LAPD ... and booked on a charge of felony assault with a deadly weapon.

Volleyball star Kim Glass -- who won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics -- says she was attacked by a homeless man in Los Angeles this weekend ... and nearly lost her eye in the incident.

Glass said it all happened on Saturday ... after she was leaving lunch with a friend at a restaurant in Downtown L.A.

In a series of videos posted to her social media page, Glass said after she had exited the eatery, she noticed a man in the street with something in his hand.

"He just like looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes," Glass said. "And, as I turned to go tell my friend, 'I think something's, like, wrong with him and I think he's going to hit a car,' before I knew it, a big metal bolt, like pipe, hit me right here."

"It happened so fast."

The 37-year-old said the man threw the object at her from several feet away ... and it slammed right into her eye socket and the bridge of her nose -- 'causing serious damage.

In her videos, taken a day after the attack, you can see her eye was nearly swollen shut, and her face was still bloodied. She said in the clips she was diagnosed with multiple facial fractures and needed stitches to close wounds.

Somehow, Glass said doctors don't expect her vision to be permanently affected by the incident. She added she was grateful for all the support she's received from friends and family since the incident, and happy things didn't turn out worse.

"Just be safe out there," she said in her videos ... "There's a lot of mentally ill people on these streets right now and you shouldn't have to be fearful when you walk but it's true. And, so, you guys just be safe."

As for the man who she accused of throwing the object, she said bystanders held him down until police arrived. No word if the man was ultimately arrested.

Glass -- a 6-foot-3 outside hitter -- played for the U.S. Women's National Team for years following a stellar career at the Univ. Of Arizona ... and also modeled in her time off the court, appearing in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

President Biden just announced that Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and soccer star Megan Rapinoe will be receiving the nation's highest civilian honor -- the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Commander-in-chief made the announcement on Friday ... revealing the two superstar athletes are among 17 names to receive the prestigious award later this month.

The White House said these individuals reflect what America embodies -- hard work, perseverance, and faith.

Biles -- on top of being the greatest gymnast of all time -- has been an outspoken advocate for mental health and sexual assault victims since becoming a household name.

Rapinoe -- an Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup winner -- has led the charge for the U.S. Women's National Team's fight for equal pay ... and is at the forefront of LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice.

Other notable names chosen are Denzel Washington, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, John McCain (posthumous), and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (posthumous).

Of course, #46 knows a thing or two about the honor ... in fact, President Obama surprised his VP with the Presidential Medal for his years of public service.

The White House prides itself on giving the award to individuals who've excelled in public or private endeavors ... but also played a role in cultivating a better country for all.

Other athletes who have received the honor include Jerry West, Tiger Woods, Lou Holtz and Roger Staubach.

"I would say 'kiss my ass,' but y'all can't afford it."

Sha'Carri Richardson gave an unfiltered message to all of her haters after failing to qualify for the world championships next month ... giving the double bird and vowing to return to dominance.

It all went down after the track star finished fifth with a time of 22.47 seconds at the 200-meter semifinals on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon ... which eliminated her from competing for Team USA at the 2022 World Athletics Championship.

The 22-year-old sprinter made sure to let her critics know she's blocking out all the negativity shortly after her disappointing outing ... and she didn't hold back.

"I normally don't be making video to post on here 'cause I really don't got nothing to explain to y'all," Richardson said on Instagram.

"But, to my supporters, I wanna thank y'all. It's been a long road. Ain't over yet. To my haters, I got another video for y'all."

Sha'Carri wasn't lying, because she posted a video laying on her back and spreading her legs ... basically telling all her haters they can "kiss my ass."

The critics weren't the only ones receiving the heat from Richardson ... she also went at the media about respecting athletes following her race.

"Be more understanding of the fact that they are still human, no matter just to the fact that y'all are just trying to get something to put out in an article to make a dollar. Thank you."

Of course, Richardson has been making headlines ever since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics controversy ... when she was banned for 30 days and missed the games after testing positive for marijuana.

An artistic swimmer nearly lost her life after passing out in the pool following an intense routine at a major event Wednesday ... but, thankfully, her coach quickly dove into the water and rescued her.

The terrifying scene went down at the FINA World Aquatic Championships in Budapest, Hungary ... when American Anita Alvarez had just wrapped up a performance in the women's solo free event and suddenly fainted.

The photos from the pool are horrifying ... they show a lifeless Alvarez sinking to the bottom, clearly in danger of drowning.

Fortunately, her coach, Andrea Fuentes, immediately knew something was wrong ... and jumped in to save her.

Fuentes grabbed Alvarez, pulled her to the top ... and, according to U.S. Artistic Swimming officials, the 25-year-old swimmer is now expected to be OK despite the grim images.

"Anita has been evaluated by medical staff and will continue to be monitored," the team said in a statement Thursday morning. "She is already feeling much better and using today to rest."

Fuentes, meanwhile, spoke about her heroic efforts to BBC on Thursday morning ... saying she had to rub Alvarez's face to get her to release the water she had taken into her lungs after collapsing in the pool.

"She was very tight on her jaw," Fuentes said. "So I tried to wake her up and massage the jaw because it was too tense. And then she coughed and threw up the water out."

Shockingly, this is not the first time Alvarez has needed Fuentes to rescue her ... the swimmer had a similar incident go down last year at an Olympic qualification event.

U.S. Artistic Swim officials said there is now a chance Alvarez could still compete in Friday's team event.

Sue Bird -- a 4-time WNBA champion and star guard for the Seattle Storm -- says she's retiring ... announcing Thursday she's hanging up her sneakers for good at the end of this season.

"I’ve decided this will be my final year," said Bird, who shared a photo of her hoopin' as a youngster.

"I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first."

The 41-year-old, who was a 2-time NCAA champion at UConn, was picked #1 overall back in 2002 ... and has played every year since for the Storm.

In her 19 years in Seattle, she piled up 12 All-Star selections ... and became the WNBA's all-time assists leader as well as the league's all-time leader in starts.

Her retirement will mark truly the end of one of the greatest basketball careers ever -- as Bird is one of only six players ever to win an NCAA championship, a WNBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.