LUKE HUMPHRIES told Noa-Lynn van Leuven’s detractors that she has earned her right to throw at the Grand Slam of Darts, saying: She hasn’t done anything illegal.
But Cool Hand Luke reckons the sport’s first transgender woman should stay off social media as she is thrust into the TV spotlight and in front of boozy crowds.
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Luke Humphries urged Noah-Lynn van Leuven to avoid social mediaCredit: Getty
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Van Leuven, 28, is set to take on Michael van Gerwen this weekendCredit: Getty
Van Leuven, 28, tackles Michael van Gerwen on Saturday night in their opening Group G match of the TV major at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton.
A spot in this event – and at next month’s Paddy Power PDC World Darts Championship – was secured by qualification via the Women’s Series.
Not everybody is happy with her progression and there have been calls for Van Leuven – who transitioned in 2021 – to be banned from women’s-only events, particularly on the WDF circuit.
PDC CEO Matt Porter backed her inclusion in the televised major, saying: “Ultimately, we came up with a policy that we believe to be fair.”
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Humphries, the reigning world champion, said: “Of course I have sympathy for her because she’s a human and no-one likes being abused online.
“She gets it a lot. But unfortunately, we all do. I get it as well for no reason sometimes. It’s the way life is nowadays.
“The world can be a negative place and people just want to abuse people and bring them down. And that’s just the way it is.
“The only thing I can suggest is to stay off social media, because it’s not a nice place at all.
“Every sport has their rules and she qualifies in the rules. So, as much as it might annoy people, she’s not doing anything that’s illegal, she’s not cheating.
“She’s doing what’s in the rules. If that changes, then things will change. But she’s not doing anything physically wrong.
Luke Humphries furious about WIND as he’s dumped out of European Darts Championship in shock defeat
“So, no-one can blame her, she’s well within the rights to do what she does at the moment.
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“It’s a hard one, because there are so many different opinions that get thrown around.
“It’d be nice if people let her get on with it and play. But yeah, I wish her all the best. Hopefully she gets a win and it’s good for her.”
Rules established by the Darts Regulation Authority say the sport is “open to all who wish to be involved in any capacity and we encourage all trans and non-binary participants to take part”.
Levels of testosterone, however, need to be below 10 nmol/L for someone born male who wishes to compete in the women’s category as a trans player.
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Humphries, 29, is the Grand Slam defending champion, having thumped Rob Cross 16-8 in the 2023 final.
His opening appearance in Group A is a clash against Austrian Rowby-John Rodriguez and over the next nine days, he is keen to remind everyone that he is the world’s best player.
‘I LOVE THIS PART’
He said: “This is the best time of the year for me. I love this part.
“You have the Grand Slam, the Players and the Worlds. All the media hype that comes with it.
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“It has been 10, nearly 11 months since I was world champion. It’s quite incredible how fast it goes.
“It has been a great ride regardless of what happens over the next couple of months, I have enjoyed myself.”
Humphries was speaking in Tamworth where he launched ‘Darts on Your Doorstep’, a new initiative in association with Smart Energy GB to bring high level darts equipment to lower income areas.
About 250 venues across the country will be fitted out with dartboards, lights and oches.
Despite Taylor’s absence from competition, fans will still be treated to a star-studded 16-player field with the likes of Richie Howson, John Henderson and Lisa Ashton in action.
A new champion will be crowned in Sunderland, as Leonard Gates will not attempt to defend his World Seniors Masters title.
SunSport has all the information you need ahead of the iconic tournament.
Lightweight champion Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) is expected to make his next title defense against Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) on Jan. 18 at UFC 311, although nothing is confirmed.
“I’ve told everyone: I think I wasn’t there (against Makhachev). I didn’t fight Islam,” Oliveira told New York Post Sports through an interpreter.
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If Tsarukyan is indeed next for Makhachev, Oliveira sees similarities in their game. However, he’s leaning towards Makhachev to get the job done once again.
“They have very similar games, and I think each has to come and look out for the same things,” Oliveira said. “You have to watch out for the striking because they do offer some striking and they also have to be very mindful of the ground game.
“It’s very, very similar styles, and I think that they have to watch out for the same things from each other. I think Islam is a little step ahead of Arman. I think he’s just stronger by a little bit, but when push comes to shove, any of them could win.”
Oliveira runs things back with Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) Nov. 16 in the UFC 309 co-main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. Oliveira won their first bout by knockout to claim the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262.
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Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Spending the first half of the season as a spectator while he worked his way back from Achilles tendinitis took its toll on San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey described being in a “dark” place during his eight weeks on the sideline, dealing with both physical pain and the frustration over not being able to play. That is now in the past with McCaffrey set to make his season debut for San Francisco on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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“Sometimes you just take it for granted that you play this game for a living and it’s what you do, it’s what you train for,” McCaffrey said Friday. “But when it’s taken from you, even just for a little bit of time, it makes you really appreciate every single day when you’re on the grass.”
McCaffrey returned to practice on Monday and has made it through four days of work on the field without any setbacks, clearing the way for him to play. He is listed as questionable because he is still on injured reserve but is set to be activated Saturday.
“We’ll take him off IR tomorrow and then he’ll be good to go,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “So unless something crazy happens on this plane ride, he should be good to go once he gets off IR.”
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The injury news isn’t all positive for San Francisco with star defensive end Nick Bosa listed as questionable after injuring his hip in practice Wednesday. Shanahan said he’s concerned Bosa might not be able to play Sunday.
“He wasn’t able to do a lot (at practice). He was extremely limited,” Shanahan said. “Hoping he’ll be all right, but we’ll see on Sunday.”
San Francisco will also be without starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, who has been away from the team all week following the death last week of his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy. A memorial service was held Friday in Dallas and general manager John Lynch led a contingent of team officials there to support Ward.
McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis since early August. He missed almost all of training camp before returning to practice just before the season opener. He was scratched at the last minute before that game against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 and then had a setback at practice Sept. 12.
He was placed on injured reserve two days later and spent the past seven weeks resting and rehabilitating, including a trip to Germany for treatment that McCaffrey didn’t want to talk about Friday.
“I keep all that stuff private,” he said “When you’re on IR and hurt, you’ll do anything to come back. I feel good right now. That’s all that matters.”
The 49ers (4-4) are counting on McCaffrey’s return for a second-half boost. San Francisco has sputtered in the first half of the season with the offense scoring 3.9 fewer points per game than last season.
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Jordan Mason has done a good job filling in for McCaffrey with 685 yards rushing in eight games, but the Niners have sorely missed the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year in the red zone and in the passing game. San Francisco’s 26 catches by running backs are fourth lowest in the league after ranking in the top five when McCaffrey was available the past two seasons.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns as he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
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But he has no concern about the injury going forward.
“I feel good now,” he said. “I wouldn’t be out here if it was still bothering me. I feel great.”
NOTES: DT Kevin Givens (groin) and WR Chris Conley (hamstring) will miss the game. … WR Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique), S Malik Mustapha (calf) and OL Jon Feliciano (knee) are all listed as questionable. … DL Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) won’t be activated off IR to play this week.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps and Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell sat down with media Friday at Phoenix Raceway to discuss several topics of interest. But in his opening statement, Phelps made sure to address the pressing issue of charters.
“Probably a lot of frustration in the room that NASCAR over the last two and a half years has not talked about charters publicly or with the media,” began Phelps. “We’ve done that purposefully. We don’t believe the media is a place to have discussions about our negotiation with our race teams and our charter extensions. That was by design. I know people are frustrated about that.”
This, of course, comes amidst the legal war between NASCAR and the teams of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Denny Hamlin has been an outspoken critic of the charter negotiations, long before his team’s refusal to sign the 2025 agreement, using the media (and a podcast) to convey his frustrations. NASCAR took a different approach.
“We are not going to negotiate in the media about charters ever, and we are very happy that 32 of our 36 charters were extended,” added Phelps. He was also sure to point out that that teams are “the single largest beneficiary of our media deal” in terms of money, noting how the sanctioning body intends to cut costs and help keep teams financially healthy.
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Phelps also made it clear that they would not take any charter-related questions from the media, citing the fact that “we are in active litigation, and that matter (of charters) is closed at least at this point.”
“No comment,” replied Phelps initially, before adding: “I do think it’s important for everyone to understand charters notwithstanding and what’s going on there, our relationship with the race teams is really important, and our race teams working with NASCAR is really important to the success of this sport, as is our relationship with Speedway Motorsports and the independent tracks, as is our relationships with our broadcast partners and our sponsors.
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“It’s what makes this entire thing go, and I would suggest over the last five, six, eight, ten years that we have not optimized the opportunity in front of us. If we do that where we have alignment and everyone understands the division, the strategy about how we’re going to move this sport forward, then I am positive we are going to have success.”
There are also ongoing questions regarding the future of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters as the four-car operation plans to shut down. Trackhouse Racing Team is acquiring one, Gene Haas is keeping one for the Haas Factory Team, but the other two were meant to go to 23XI and FRM. However, Phelps had no answers there as the future of those two charters remains unclear.
23XI and FRM intend to appeal Friday’s decision as they continue their fight to keep hold of their charters while suing NASCAR for alleged antitrust violations.
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Stuart Hogg’s estranged wife Gillian has broken her silence days after his conviction
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Hogg admitted hounding Gillian with hundreds of messagesCredit: Andrew Barr
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Hogg also shouted and swore at Gillian, leaving her fearing for her safetyCredit: Andrew Barr
He also shouted and swore at her and left her fearing for her safety.
Brave Gillian has opened up and shown her appreciation to those who have supported her through her ordeal.
Taking to social media, the mum-of-four posted: “Thank you to every single person who has reached out to me in ways of love, kindness and support. Who have text, messaged, called, visited, sent flowers.
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“Who have gave me a hi, a smile, a hug or even just a look to show they care. My friends and family have picked me up and carried me through this all and I’ll be grateful forever for them all.
“I have been completely overwhelmed this week especially. The abundance of support and love has swamped me in the most positive way. Thank you.
“Now, it’s time to start my next chapter. To move on and to keep showing my kids every day that strength comes from unconditional love and support around you, and even when it hurts, love wins.”
Hogg was married to Gillian for seven years before they split.
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The pair tied the knot back in 2016, at Barony Castle in Peebles, Scottish Borders.
Hogg and Gillian, both from Hawick, started their family in 2015 and have four children.
On November 15 last year, it was reported that Hogg had split from his wife – just days after she gave birth to their fourth child.
Shock moment Stuart Hogg sparks mass rugby brawl on pitch as pregnant girlfriend Leonna Mayor watches on from stands
Pals told of how his seven-year marriage crumbled, with Gillian quitting their home and taking their kids to her mum’s.
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The former couple also removed “husband” and “wife” from social media profiles and Gillian failed to mention Hogg in a picture she shared of their new baby.
Hours later Hogg’s new romance was confirmed in a photo showing him and former jockey turned top horse-racing presenter, Leonna Mayor, at Moddershall Oak Country Spa Retreat in Stoke-on-Trent.
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