The GIST: A viral, memeable moment from the Paris Olympics has quickly become clouded by hate and malicious lies, with some falsely claiming that Australian B-Girl Raygun, aka, Rachael Gunn, conspired her way into the Games.

The context: Gunn performed one of the most…memorable breaking routines in Paris, taking over the Internet with her kangaroo dance and ultimately failing to earn any points.

• The 36-year-old said she was bringing “creativity” to breaking with her original moves, as she knew she couldn’t match her younger competitors’ power. Fair enough.

The misinformation: After the Games, false claims began to spread that Gunn, as well as her husband and coach Samuel Free, manipulated the Australian breaking qualification process so that she could compete.

• The rumor mill swirled so quickly that a change.org petition calling for a “full investigation” into Gunn garnered 57K signatures. It has since been taken down following demands from the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).

The facts: Neither Gunn nor her husband have held positions of authority in Australian breaking organizations, and Gunn secured her Olympic spot fair and square last October, earning the highest marks from a panel of nine judges, none of whom were Australian.

• The AOC is fully defending Gunn and has decried the harassment and bullying she’s faced, while Gunn herself is asking for privacy, calling the online hate she’s received “devastating.” Enough is enough.

England and Arsenal forward Alessia Russo already knows how she wants to spend her time in the United States.

The team is preparing for a first-of-its-kind preseason tour, first playing the NWSL’s Washington Spirit on August 18th at Audi Field, before a friendly against longtime WSL rival Chelsea on August 25th. But Russo also has other plans for her time in Washington, DC.

“I’m excited to go to Chipotle — I love it there,” she told Just Women’s Sports about a week before her team was scheduled to fly across the Atlantic. “They do actually have a couple in London, but they’re really far out for me. So I’m looking forward to Chipotle.”

Russo has already seen her football career take her to heights she only dreamed of as a kid, winning the European Championship in 2022 with England, making it to a World Cup final the following year, and signing with Arsenal in 2023 after a successful three years starring for Manchester United. 

Russo’s footballing journey first took her to the US in 2017, where she cut her teeth in NCAA soccer at the University of North Carolina alongside current Arsenal teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy. In a way, her team’s trip to Washington, DC — about a four-hour drive from Chapel Hill — is a bit of a homecoming for the striker.

“I loved my time at college,” said Russo. “I remember going out there quite young and naive, and I thought I’d kind of throw myself into this new environment and experience. I came out of it with best friends that I still speak to now all the time.”

Even as sold out stands at Wembley have become commonplace for the 25-year-old Kent native — not to mention the increasingly enormous crowds at London’s Emirates Stadium where Arsenal Women will be playing 11 home games this season — Russo’s memories of Chapel Hill are more akin to the average college student.

“We used to have our pre-games all the time at Panera,” she recalls. “Everyone used to think like, ‘Why are we going to Panera again?’ But Lotte [Wubben-Moy] and I used to love it, so I’m sure we’ll take a visit back there.”

While Arsenal’s preseason tour will allow Russo plenty of time to relive her glory days, it will also act as prep for the upcoming WSL season, as well as a way to reach fans that might not otherwise ever get to see their favorite players in person. The club has leaned into those particular opportunities throughout the 2024 offseason, already completing a short tour of Australia.

Russo has cherished the chance to play in front of fans across the globe, but with a tight international calendar and mounting club workload, she’s had to be mindful about getting rest on her precious off-days.

“I think you really need to make the most of it when you do get time to fully switch off,” she said. “[It’s] something that when I was a little bit younger I probably wasn’t as good at, but as I get older, it’s knowing your body a bit more, knowing what works for you.”

She enjoys the rare warm weather holiday, and Russo went on to note the support she has gotten from both the Arsenal and England training staffs, and how load management — especially during preseason — can be a key factor to achieving individual and team goals.

Their test against an NWSL team currently sitting third in the league standings will also be an important step in Arsenal’s preseason plans, as well as a challenge that draws specifically on Russo’s time at North Carolina. The NWSL is known for high transition-style play, moving the ball quickly and hurting their opponent on the counter. 

The Spirit have taken that ethos and evolved it this season, creating a sturdy midfield that can retain possession as well as push back on the wings with former Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez taking full control of the squad.

“I think it’s going to be a really tough game, and we all know that,” Russo added. “Also, they’re in their season, so they’re going to be firing, they’re going to be on form.”

But should the match open up, Russo will be ready: “Going to the states, I developed a different side of the game in terms of strength and power and physicality, because in order to fit into the game and into college football, you needed to be strong.”

“I just had to kind of catch my body up with where I needed it to be,” she continued. “And it’s still something that you work on now, but UNC was kind of the starting point for all of that.”

Arsenal will need to rely on all of Russo’s past experiences this season, as the club reshapes its attack following the high-profile exit of superstar forward Vivianne Miedema, who signed with perennial title contender Manchester City earlier this offseason. And while Miedema’s playing time had dwindled at Arsenal after returning from injury, the team still has serious offensive connections to mend should they want to better their 2023-24 third-place finish in the WSL. According to Russo, diversity will play a major role in hammering out Arsenal’s reformation.

“I think we’ve grown a lot as a team and we’ve reflected a lot after last season,” said Russo. “Ultimately, a club like Arsenal, we want to be winning trophies and we know that we have the talent to do so — in the changing room and with all our staff.

“I think we have so many special players on the ball, off the ball, wingers and 10s that possess so many different qualities even between them — one winger might like to do, the other is completely opposite. That makes it really cool and unpredictable.”

Russo describes herself as a forward-thinking player who loves to score goals but can also embody the off-the-ball roles of a No. 9, with an emphasis on pressing triggers when the team is out of possession. Execution in attacking spaces could make all the difference for a club looking to battle teams like Chelsea and Manchester City for domestic titles, as well enter back into the apex of European competition with their impending UEFA Champions League campaign.

Arsenal is also prepared to continue to push the sport forward, capitalizing on a global movement that’s propelled the rise of women’s football in the US, Europe, and beyond. Russo noted that while the talent on the pitch has always been there, but she feels lucky to be part of a generation that’s bringing women’s sport into the spotlight.

“[Fans are] genuinely wanting to see the game grow, and they’re actual fans of women’s football,” she said. “To play in those kinds of stadiums — whether that’s in England, in Australia, in the US — women’s football now is never questioned, we have our fan bases and we’re getting to the stages that we deserve.”

For Russo, the path forward is clear: win trophies with Arsenal, carry that momentum into the 2025 Euros, and excel in every international and club tournament beyond that — all while never forgetting her sense of gratitude, no matter how high her star ascends.

“People have a genuine connection to following these journeys and these stories,” she said. “I feel very privileged to be in that kind of position, and hopefully long may it continue.”

Thirteen year old Betty Glyptis is one smart golfer. She’s funny and clever and a really good golfer.

A blog with a difference this week as it’s a vlog so you can watch it or listen to it on the go like a podcast! Listen to how Betty’s hearing impairment affects her golf – something you might not expect!

The first question is all about how Betty got into golf (there was a lot of editing due to Caroline’s tedious chat!)…. Thanks Betty for a really fun conversation – we’ll look out for you on our screens in the future!

The GIST: Three-time WNBA All-Star Dearica Hamby has filed a federal lawsuit against the league and her former team, the Las Vegas Aces, alleging unlawful workplace discrimination in relation to her second pregnancy.

The background: Hamby first signed with the Aces (then the San Antonio Stars) back in 2015 and was an integral member of the organization, contributing to their first championship in September 2022. Three months prior to that title run, Hamby signed a two-year extension to stick with the Aces.

• She later publicly announced her second pregnancy during the squad’s championship parade.

The turning point: Hamby was abruptly traded to the LA Sparks (her current team) in January 2023. She immediately voiced her displeasure, alleging she was “lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against,” prompting an investigation by the WNBPA.

• Hamby gave birth to her son, Legend, in April 2023 and went on to play all 40 Sparks games last season. Following the WNBPA’s investigation, the WNBA suspended Aces head coach Becky Hammon for two 2023 games and rescinded the team’s 2025 first-round draft pick.

The latest: Hamby filed a federal lawsuit against the league and the Aces on Monday, with Hammon’s alleged actions at the center of the suit, including claims that the Hall of Fame coach questioned Hamby’s devotion to the team, asked her if she planned the pregnancy, and did not deny that Hamby was being traded because of her pregnancy.

• Additionally, the suit alleges that the Aces incentivized Hamby to decline free agency in June 2022 by offering to pay her elder daughter’s private school tuition. According to Hamby, that promise was not fulfilled after she announced her second pregnancy.

The response: The WNBA has stated it’s reviewing Hamby’s complaint, while the Aces have not yet commented — though Hammon denied all accusations of wrongdoing in the past. Meanwhile, Hamby is averaging career-high points for the Sparks and just won a bronze medal as a member of the U.S. Olympic 3×3 team. Needless to say, we’ll be staying tuned to this evolving story.

100m men’s final vs 100m women’s final

Whilst the women’s marathon was headline grabbing for all the right reasons, the men’s 100m final was not. To great fanfare, the men’s 100m final was heralded. Dimmed lights in the Stade du France, wristbands alight; music, hype, anticipation – this was all for the men’s 100m final. Had the women’s final in the same event received the same build up the night before? No it had not. There might be gender parity but there certainly wasn’t event parity.

Countries’ firsts

However, let’s forget the hype around staging – or lack of – and congratulate Julien Alfred, the fastest woman on the planet! She won St Lucia’s first ever gold medal which is amazing! But there were many firsts at these games for men and women including Thea LaFond for Dominica in the triple jump and Lin Yu-Ting winning Taiwan’s first boxing gold.

Boxing Not So Clever

Women’s boxing became ugly at the Paris Olympics due to disputes over gender. Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Yu-Ting of Taiwan came under incredible scrutiny due to misinformation despite passing all of the IOC’s gender tests. Like Yu-Ting, Imane Khelif won gold becoming the first Algerian, Arab and African woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal. Congratulations to Imane and Lin!

Gymnastics at the Paris Olympics

While there were many sat at home with opinions on the women’s boxing, gymnastics performances had to be analysed and assessed within a minute, we’ve all learnt. Jordan Chiles and her USA team fell foul of this according to Team Romania with Chiles ultimately losing the bronze to Romanian gymnast Barbosu. It seems as though procedures were not followed by several gymnastic bodies and its the gymnasts that are suffering. Four years of hard work to end like this is hard to swallow.

On the flip (side), a memorable moment of the Games came when Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won her country’s first Olympic gold medal for gymnastics on the floor. That is momentous enough – another first! – but Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowing down to her as she took to the podium is a wonderful demonstration of women supporting women. They were also celebrating the first medal ceremony made up of three Black women which is definitely worth celebrating.

These are just some of our Games notable moments for women’s sport, good and bad but there are many, many more great ones. What’s yours?

Bring on the Paralympics!