Woman runner says she was 'robbed' after trans athlete — who lived as a married man just 4 years before — smashes her 5K record



A transgender athlete easily beat a woman's running record for a 5K race recently, with the former record holder telling outlets she feels "robbed" and "cheated."

According to the Daily Mail, Deb Roberts, now 51 years old, set a 5K race record for the 40-45 women's category in 2018 with a time of 20 minutes and six seconds. Previous records were just seconds behind, at 20 minutes 10 seconds and 20 minutes 18 seconds.

However, transgender athlete Sian Longthorpe smashed the record by more than a minute with a time of 18 minutes and 53 seconds in Porthcawl, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.

Longthorpe, a 45-year-old who appears to have previously gone by the name Simon, was living as a married man as recently as four years prior to the race.

Former record holder Roberts, who is a prison officer, recently competed on the same course but in the women's 50-55 age group. Roberts expressed discontent with the transgender runner after learning her record had been broken.

"I only realized the record had still been mine when my friend told me last night. She then went on to tell me that it had been broken, by a trans athlete," Roberts explained. "I felt robbed, to be honest. If my record has been beaten by a natural-born female runner, I would have accepted that as fair and square," she continued.

"I am very competitive, but I would've thought it was fair enough because all records are there to be broken and mine is no different. Except this is different because my record has been broken by someone who was not born as a woman. That does not seem fair," the prison officer added.

\u201cSi\u00e2n Longthorpe, 43 ans, l'athl\u00e8te transgenre qui a bris\u00e9 le record f\u00e9minin du Porthcawl Parkrun d'une minute et 13 secondes \u00e9tait un homme mari\u00e9 jusqu'\u00e0 il y a quatre ans\nhttps://t.co/NV2sCkYVct\u201d
— Claire L. Royaliste L\u00e9gitimiste - Compte secours (@Claire L. Royaliste L\u00e9gitimiste - Compte secours) 1684945296

Roberts said she is still unsure whether she will complain, however, due to not wanting to be perceived as a poor loser.

"My friends have told me I must complain to Parkrun, but I'm not sure yet whether or not I will," she stated. "Parkrun is supposed to be about inclusivity, and I don't want people thinking I'm having a moan just because I lost my record."

Roberts said she once complained because a man used his wife's barcode to register his race time, and his result was overturned.

"When I complained, the officials put it right. Somehow, I don't think that will happen this time," she predicted.

\u201cA company sponsors a race for women and congratulates the fastest \u201cfemale\u201d who is actually a man. How can we trust their boast about the number of females they have promoted to partner? @ByMichelmores #parkrun #sianlongthorpe #SaveWomensSports\u201d
— Mary Maloney's Bell (@Mary Maloney's Bell) 1684958928

Longthorpe appears to have been featured in a 2020 profile on an Instagram page promoting runners. In the profile, Longthorpe explains the three factors that played into him believing he was a woman.

"One was the birth of my son. This was a hugely stressful time and I retreated more into this world I had built, Siân’s world, where life was rosier," Simon explained. "My wife knew about it and would reluctantly leave me alone to go there. The second was when my marriage broke down. I had more time to be Siân, and I embraced it. Even to do a mundane task, like housework, I would get made up and present as Siân as I felt more comfortable."

The third moment, as Longthorpe described it, was when a close friend committed suicide.

Parkrun, the race organizer, told the Daily Mail that the organization believes it would not be "appropriate or practical" to request proof of gender or "adjudicate the validity of a person's gender identity."

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US-born and raised ski star Eileen Gu faces backlash after taking home Olympic gold for China, fires back at critics with a biting response



An American ski star who was born and raised in California and plans to attend Stanford University in the fall just won gold while competing for China at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing — and the news is generating mixed reactions on social media.

What are the details?

Eileen Gu, 18, first made headlines in 2019 when she announced that she would be competing in the Olympics under the flag of her mother's home country, China. Gu was raised all of her life in California by an American father and a Chinese mother.

But now, with newfound international fame and an Olympic gold medal under her belt for the women's freeski big air event, her controversial decision to compete for China has drawn more intense scrutiny.

Gu for GOLD. \n\nEileen Gu wins Women's Big Air gold with a double cork 1620 on her final run. #WinterOlympicspic.twitter.com/VMC8T19xvB
— NBC Sports (@NBC Sports) 1644290373

While many commenters on social media celebrated Gu's victory on Tuesday, others justifiably questioned why the up-and-coming celebrity would use her talents to serve a communist country known for authoritarian rule and long suspected of committing human rights atrocities.

Notably, former Missouri lawmaker Claire McCaskill said, "I don't get it. And never will. I think it is wrong for an American to compete for China."

"China represses free speech," she added, and "is well known for their human rights violations," including the country's forced labor tactics against the Muslim Uyghur population in the northwest region of China.

I don\u2019t get it. And never will. I think it is wrong for an American to compete for China. China is represses free speech, is well known for their human rights violations. Did she abandon her US citizenship or not? (China does not have dual citizenship) ugh. #EileenGu
— Claire McCaskill (@Claire McCaskill) 1644294259

McCaskill went on to ask a question that many have asked Gu since the start of the Olympics: "Did she abandon her U.S. citizenship or not?"

It remains unclear whether Gu has renounced her U.S. citizenship, a move that is normally required for Chinese naturalization since the country does not allow dual citizenship. The skier was asked about the matter by reporters on numerous occasions during her post-gold medal press conference, but each time she refused to answer, saying only that she felt American in the U.S. and Chinese in China, according to CNN.

What else?

Other critics have suggested that Gu only decided to compete for China as a publicity maneuver, knowing her success would earn her unique fame and fortune in China.

That perception has been bolstered by the immense praise of her so far by Chinese fans and government authorities.

Following her gold medal run on Tuesday, the topic dominated searches on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, as more than 90,000 comments were posted in less than 30 minutes about her win. The social media platform temporarily crashed due to the traffic.

CNN also noted that Chinese authorities were "unusually" quick to congratulate Gu.

ESPN reported that Gu's decision was a "lucrative one" for her on-the-side modeling career, adding that "her face is on advertisements across Beijing, and she has been photographed for Vogue, Victoria's Secret, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and more."

China's support for Gu stands in stark contrast to the anger and vitriol that has come to her fellow American-born Olympian, figure skater Zhu Yi, who is competing in Beijing for China but has not had success.

What is she saying?

In response to the criticism, Gu reportedly shot back, saying, "If people don't like me, then that's their loss. They're never going to win the Olympics."

Her dismissive remark mirrored a comment she made on her TikTok last month after a critic asked, "Why China tho... you grew up in San Francisco?" The user posted a money bag emoji along with the comment, suggesting she had financial motives.

"Cry ab it [cry about it]," she responded.

In her 2019 announcement on Instagram, Gu said she decided to ski for China to inspire young Chinese women.

"This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make," she said. "I am extremely thankful for U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Chinese Ski Association for having the vision and belief in me to make my dreams come true. I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings."

"The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love," she continued. "Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true."

Georgia residents face long lines on first day of early voting. Some voters had to wait 'six hours or more' to cast their ballot.



Several Georgia precincts saw long lines Monday, as voters reportedly turned out in record numbers to head to the polls on the first day of early voting in the state.

What are the details?

The Associated Press reported that some locations were overwhelmed by the number of voters who turned out make their voices heard in the general election, with many people waiting several hours as poll workers battled technical difficulties and overall lack of space. Some critics declared the situation was evidence of voter suppression.

"Eager voters endured waits of six hours or more in Cobb County, which was once solidly Republican but has voted for Democrats in recent elections, and joined lines that wrapped around polling places in solidly Democratic DeKalb County," the outlet reported. "They also turned out in big numbers in north Georgia's Floyd County, where support for President Donald Trump is strong."

According to The Hill, technical issues with pollbooks (used to check in voters) caused major delays at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, but the situation was resolved after an hour or so.

NBC News published the experience of Cobb County voter Everlean Rutherford, who tweeted out a video of a long line in the morning hours at her polling place, writing, "I LOVE this. Early voting started today in Georgia. This is the voting line in Cobb County. You see this."

I LOVE this. Early voting started today in Georgia. This is the voting line in Cobb County. You see this… https://t.co/tF5SbMLew6
— Everlean R (@Everlean R)1602512290.0

Rutherford sent out a number of updates throughout the day before finally tweeting, "Just finished voting. I started at 10:04 and just finished at 7:43pm."

Just finished voting. I started at 10:04 and just finished at 7:43pm. #earlyvoting #GA #CobbCounty #Vote https://t.co/U5RkhCBWWJ
— Everlean R (@Everlean R)1602546355.0

Former Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill tweeted out a separate video from Georgia, alleging, "This is a picture of voter suppression. Why do Americans have to wait in lines this long? This is the line in Suwannee Georgia today to vote."

This is a picture of voter suppression. Why do Americans have to wait in lines this long? This is the line in Suwan… https://t.co/61GPjJ9d1I
— Claire McCaskill (@Claire McCaskill)1602520372.0

McCaskill received pushback from some people over the allegation of voter suppression. Jay Caruso, managing editor of The Washington Examiner, argued in an extensive thread that after living in Georgia for five years, he could attest that "it is one of the easiest states to both register and vote."

Others responded in agreement with the former Missouri senator, with one person arguing, "It's voter suppression because not everyone can stand in line for EIGHT FREAKING HOURS in the heat to vote! People have passed out, some have had to leave to go to work or pick up kids. This is a district that went for Hillary [Clinton] so the GOP wants to make it hard for them to vote!"