LOS ANGELES: WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has revealed she contemplated suicide during her nine-month ordeal in a Russian jail that left her feeling “less than a human.”
Griner, who was detained in a Moscow airport in February 2022 on drug charges before being sentenced to nine years in prison, made the revelation in excerpts of an upcoming interview with ABC Television released on Tuesday.
“Yeah, I just didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through,” an emotional Griner said when asked by her interviewer on ABC’s 20/20 news show if she had considered “ending it all.”
In other segments of the interview, Griner, who was freed in late 2022 as part of a prisoner swap, gave an insight into the grim conditions of her incarceration at a Russian penal colony.
“The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper. That was the moment where I just felt less than a human,” Griner said.
Griner said at one stage during her imprisonment she was ushered into a room to find “a huge knife sitting on the table.”
“And I was like ‘Now, this is going to be a ride,’” she said. “You’ve got to do what you got to do to survive.”
Griner was arrested and charged by Russian officials for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage as she passed through airport security.
She later testified she had “no intention” of breaking the law and had packed the cartridges by accident.
Asked by ABC what she felt when she realized that she had left the cartridges in her luggage, she replied: “My life is over right here.”
Later in the interview, Griner recalls the moment she was handed her nine-year prison term.
“I was just so scared for everything because there’s so much unknown,” she said.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA champion, Griner was eventually released in December 2022 as part of a deal that saw her swapped for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout — known as the “Merchant of Death.”
At the time, Griner was one of several US-based players playing in Russia during the WNBA off-season in order to boost her income.
She has vowed never to play basketball abroad again for clubs following her jail sentence.
Griner’s full interview, which comes ahead of the release next month of a memoir by the basketball player detailing her ordeal, will be aired on May 1.
Griner contemplated suicide during Russian prison ordeal
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Griner contemplated suicide during Russian prison ordeal
- Griner made the revelation in excerpts of an upcoming interview with ABC Television released on Tuesday
- “Yeah, I just didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through,” an emotional Griner said
Gauff defeats Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka is assured of No. 1
It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head
RIYADH: Coco Gauff earned her second victory over Iga Swiatek in 13 career matchups, winning 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA Finals on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the season-ending tournament.
The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time.
It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, also put an end to five-time Grand Slam champ Swiatek’s six-match unbeaten run at the WTA Finals, an event the Polish star won a year ago.
The win moved Gauff to 2-0 in the Orange Group, while Swiatek fell to 1-1. Swiatek had rallied to beat Barbora Krejcikova in three sets on Sunday in her first match in two months.
Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, kept her chances of advancing alive with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jessica Pegula. That eliminated Pegula, who lost in straight sets to Gauff in their opening match in Saudi Arabia.
Krejcikova was the last player to qualify for the event for the top eight players on the women’s tennis tour, earning her berth thanks to her Grand Slam title at the All England Club in July. At No. 13, she became the lowest-ranked player to win a WTA Finals match since Magda Maleeva 22 years ago.
Krejcikova ends Pegula’s last-four hopes at WTA Finals
- The crafty Czech fired 11 aces and broke Pegula four times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Barbora Krejcikova ended Jessica Pegula’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, defeating the sixth-seeded American 6-3, 6-3 in Riyadh on Tuesday.
A runner-up at the WTA Finals last year, Pegula suffered her second straight-sets defeat of the week and enters her final round-robin match against Iga Swiatek on Thursday anchoring the Orange Group with zero sets won.
Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Krejcikova bounced back from her opening loss to Swiatek to keep her hopes of making the final four alive.
“I was fighting for every ball and I felt that I really have to play my best tennis and I was trying to be really solid and trying to put as many balls to the other side as I could,” said Krejcikova, who picked up just her 20th match win of the season.
“I’m definitely proud. I had some very high parts of the season, especially winning Wimbledon, that’s something indescribable. And being here in the Finals is a huge privilege. It’s nice to get the win and still be part of the event.”
Despite being ranked number 13 in the world, Krejcikova qualified for these WTA Finals thanks to a new rule introduced by the WTA that gave priority to a player who has won a Grand Slam this season, while maintaining a ranking between 9 and 20, over a player ranked number eight in the Race.
As the reigning Wimbledon champion, Krejcikova claimed the final qualifying spot in Riyadh over world number eight Emma Navarro.
Krejcikova squandered a 6-4, 3-0 lead against Swiatek in her opener two days ago and made sure there was no repeat scenario against Pegula on Tuesday.
The crafty Czech fired 11 aces and broke Pegula four times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes.
Dybala left out of Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers while Martínez is back from suspension
- Martínez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for “offensive behavior”
BUENOS AIRES: Roma striker Paulo Dybala was left out of the Argentina squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is back after a suspension.
Coach Lionel Scaloni announced his squad on Tuesday, with the absence of Dybala and the inclusion of Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea the two big surprises.
Martínez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for “offensive behavior” in two previous matches in September, but he will be available for the match at Paraguay on Nov. 14 and the home game against Peru five days later.
Argentina lead South American World Cup qualifying with 22 points from 10 matches. The top six teams will get direct spots at the 2026 tournament.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille).
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germán Pezzella (River Plate), Nehuén Pérez (Porto), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon).
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nicolás Paz (Como), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Barrenechea (Valencia).
Strikers: Thiago Almada (Botafogo), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Juventus), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Julián Álvarez (Atletico Madrid), Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester), Valentín Castellanos (Lazio), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan).
Ito’s Bayern debut further delayed after foot surgery
- “Hiroki Ito required further surgery on his metatarsal. This took place today, Tuesday, and went well,” Bayern said
- Bundesliga leaders Bayern had expected Ito to return at the end of October
BERLIN: Bayern Munich and Japan center-back Hiroki Ito underwent another surgery on his injured foot on Tuesday, the latest setback for the Japan defender.
The 25-year-old is yet to play a competitive match for Bayern, having arrived in the summer from Stuttgart for a reported fee of 23.5 million euros ($25.6 million).
“Hiroki Ito required further surgery on his metatarsal. This took place today, Tuesday, and went well,” Bayern said in a statement.
“The FC Bayern defender will therefore be sidelined again for the time being and will restart his rehab program as soon as possible.”
Bundesliga leaders Bayern had expected Ito to return at the end of October or start of November.
He broke his metarsal in a pre-season friendly against lower division side FC Dueren in July.
Ito made his Japan debut in 2022 and has since played 19 international games, scoring one goal.
Manchester United fans in favor of leaving Old Trafford
- Of 50,000 United season ticket holders, club members and executive club members polled, 52 percent said they preferred the idea of a new facility
- The Daily Telegraph has reported that a final decision on which option to choose is likely to be taken in the first half of 2025
MACNHESTER: A majority of Manchester United fans favor building a new stadium rather than re-developing Old Trafford, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
Of 50,000 United season ticket holders, club members and executive club members polled, 52 percent said they preferred the idea of a new facility, while 31 percent supported the re-development of one of the most recognizable stadiums in world football. Another 17 percent were undecided.
United’s cross-city neighbors Manchester City left their Maine Road stadium in 2003 to move into the new City of Manchester Stadium, but Premier League rivals Liverpool have re-developed their Anfield home.
United released artist’s images in September of a potential Old Trafford regeneration project and have indicated that a new stadium could be part of a multi-billion-pound re-development project.
The club’s owners are considering options in conjunction with the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which includes former United defender Gary Neville and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe among its members.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that a final decision on which option to choose is likely to be taken in the first half of 2025.
The Task Force is understood to have focused its discussions on building a new 100,000-capacity stadium rather than redeveloping Old Trafford.
Rick McGagh, United’s director of fan engagement, said: “We know how important our home is to fans and we need to listen to them and gain all their views and insights in order to develop the world-class stadium they deserve.
“We are able to view the results through different lenses to understand if our season ticket holders feel differently about anything than say our official members. And if younger fans have different views to older fans.”
