Other Sports Catch-All

Garcia posted an apology of sorts on X.

"I was trolling I want all the killing to stop," Garcia wrote. "I love everyone sorry if I offended you."

It has been a tumultuous year for Garcia, 25, who was arrested on felony vandalism charges last month after a Beverly Hills hotel accused him of causing an estimated $15,000 in damage.

In a statement released after the WBC announced its penalty, Garcia's family addressed his recent troubling behavior as well as his social-media remarks, stating that they "do not align with his, or our family's, true character or beliefs."

"Our family unequivocally does not support any statements [Garcia] has made regarding race or religion -- these do not reflect who Ryan truly is and how he was raised," the family's statement said. "Those who know Ryan can attest to this fact. Ryan has been open about his ongoing struggle with mental health over the years and as a family we are committed to ensuring and encouraging that he receives the necessary help to navigate this very challenging time and address both his immediate and long-term well-being."

French cyclist Julien Bernard has given a light-hearted apology after being fined for kissing his wife during a Tour de France time trial.

The Lidl-Trek rider was made to pay 200 Swiss francs ($223; £174) by the International Cycling Union (ICU) for stopping briefly during stage seven of the race.

The governing body said the fine was for "unseemly or inappropriate behaviour during the race and damage to the image of the sport".

Writing on social media, Bernard apologised to the UCI for "having damaged the image of sport" but said he was willing to pay the fine "every day and relive this moment".

In a television interview following the stage, Bernard said the encounter with his loved ones had been a unique moment in his career and he had pushed hard earlier in the stage so he would have enough time to do so.

"It was really incredible. My wife has been organising this with some friends for a few weeks now and she did a really, really good job," he said.

"On a time trial, you have time to enjoy yourself. It's these moments that keep me going and cycling."

One of Team GB’s biggest stars, Charlotte Dujardin, has been banned from the Paris Olympics over allegations that she whipped a horse “24 times … like an elephant in a circus”.

The 39-year-old, who won six dressage Olympic medals in London, Rio and Tokyo, has been suspended after a video emerged of the incident that occurred when she conducted a coaching session to a young rider in a private stable several years ago.

The Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing, who is representing the 19-year-old who filed the official complaint against Dujardin, said that he was pleased that the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) had taken such a strong stand.

“Charlotte Dujardin was in the middle of the arena,” he said. “She said to the student: ‘Your horse must lift up the legs more in the canter.’ She took the long whip and she was beating the horse more than 24 times in one minute. It was like an elephant in the circus.

“At that time, my client was thinking this must be normal. She is an Olympic winner. Who am I to doubt? My client asked around and was warned against speaking out in the UK. But last year my client saw others suspended in the UK and elsewhere.

“And this weekend, she eventually made a decision to let me admit the complaint to the FEI and that happened yesterday. The FEI took this immediately very seriously.”

British Equestrian refused to directly comment on Wensing’s allegations. However the organisation’s chief executive, Jim Eyre, admitted the allegations against Dujardin were serious.

“As the guardians of equestrian sport, we must uphold the highest standards of equine welfare – the horse’s wellbeing is paramount,” he said. “We have been in close liaison with the FEI on the matter and will fully comply with any requests to fulfil their investigation and support the robust processes around such complaints.

“The allegations made are serious and the consequences far reaching but upholding the integrity of our sport remains our priority.”

DALLAS (AP) — A Serbian competitor in the CrossFit Games died while competing in a swimming event Thursday morning at a Texas lake, officials said.

CrossFit CEO Don Faul said during a news conference that they were “deeply saddened” and were working with authorities on the investigation into the death of one of their athletes at Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth.

The Tarrant County medical examiner’s office identified the athlete as 28-year-old Lazar Dukic of Serbia. The medical examiner’s office had not yet listed his cause of death.

An official with the Fort Worth Fire Department said they were called out around 8 a.m. to assist police because there was “a participant in the water that was down and hadn’t been seen in some point in time.”

Officers who were working the event were told a participant was unaccounted for after last being seen in the water and then not resurfacing, police said.

The Fort Worth fire official said they responded for search and rescue and were not on the scene when the initial call was made.

Faul said CrossFit had a safety plan and did have safety personnel on site at the event. CrossFit did not respond Thursday to an inquiry from The Associated Press seeking more details on that safety plan.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported the event on Thursday included a 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) run followed by an 800-meter (0.5-mile) swim. The newspaper said an estimated 10,000 people were in the area for the games, which began Thursday and were set to run through Sunday.

Kaitlin Pritchard told the newspaper that she was standing by the finish line when she saw Dukic approach. She said he was among swimmers she noticed had changed up their swimming patterns, which she thought could have been because they were tired from the run.

Pritchard saw people she assumed were lifeguards on paddleboards on the lake but didn’t notice any of them jumped in to try to rescue anyone, she said.

“Gauging where the people on the paddleboards were and everything, it’s just that he should have been reachable,” Pritchard told the newspaper.

Dukic played water polo and was an athlete ambassador for FITAID, a sports drink brand, said Gijs Spaans, general manager for FITAID in Europe. Spaans, who knew Dukic for three years, described him as a driven athlete and a “guy who walks into a room and lights up the room.”

“He had an incredible work ethic with his athletics career but, you know, always also made time to speak to people and make time for them,” Spaans said. “Just a really, really good dude.”

Spaans was watching a livestream of the swim miles away at the main event site. He was looking for Dukic among the swimmers coming out of the water before realizing he was missing.

“I thought he had this. And then all of a sudden I was thinking, ‘Why is his name not showing up in the finishes?’” Spaans said. “All the race, he was in top five of the race. And all of a sudden I see all these other people coming in. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’”

“He was in it to win it,” Spaans added. “He was a great swimmer.”

The mission of the CrossFit Games, first held in 2007, is to “find the fittest athletes in the world,” the CrossFit website said. It says the games change every year and often the details are not announced until just before the event.

The CrossFit community is like a family, Faul said.

“We’re doing everything in our power during this tragic time to support the family, to support our community,” Faul said.

Dukic’s biography on the CrossFit website says he was the third-ranked CrossFit athlete in Serbia and the 88th-ranked worldwide. Dukic finished ninth in his debut in the games in 2021, then eighth the next season and ninth in 2023.

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Stengle reported from Dallas and Kelety from Phoenix. AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli contributed from Columbia, South Carolina.