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World’s Strongest Woman contestants open up on unknowingly facing trans athlete at controversial event
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Women’s weightlifters Hailey Sikman and Jade Dickens thought they were competing at a normal World’s Strongest Woman championship last weekend. Instead, they witnessed the nation’s latest trans athlete controversy unfurl up close.
Transgender athlete Jammie Booker won first place in the women’s heavyweight division, beating female competitor Andrea Thompson by one point. However, once Booker’s biological sex was revealed, Official Strongman revised the results to give Thompson first place.
Sikman and Dickens told Fox News Digital they had no knowledge of Booker’s biological sex until after the competition.
Andrea Thompson, left, finished second to an alleged transgender athlete at the 2025 World’s Strongest Woman competition. (Laurence Shahlaei)
“Unfortunately, Jammie Booker got the best of Andrea Thompson right there at the end. And it wasn’t known to the promoters, to any of the athletes, until after the award ceremony and after everyone was gone that Jammie Booker is actually Jeffrey Booker, and he is a man,” Dickens said.
“I was beyond mad. … Had I known, I definitely would have done something about it, personally would have done something about it prior to the event being over. But nobody knew. Nobody knew he was a man.”
Dickens said she believes the organization would have removed Booker from competition had it known of the athlete’s birth sex.
“Had they had the knowledge, they would have taken care of it before the competition even started,” Dickens said.
Sikman also claimed she didn’t know of Booker’s biological sex until after the competition was over. Still, Sikman had her suspicions about Booker based on the athlete’s appearance.
“He definitely conned himself in and manipulated a situation,” Sikman said.
During the competition, Sikman tried to interact with the trans athlete, believing Booker was a woman, she said.
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“I tried to talk to him, and he kind of just blew me off,” Sikman added.
Dickens said of Booker’s behavior during the event, “I didn’t personally speak to him. … He was actually pretty quiet. … In my opinion, the reason he didn’t talk much was because his voice would have revealed he was male.”
Sikman claimed she spoke to other competitors who recalled Booker’s behavior during the weekend.
“A lot of other women were saying he was just being arrogant and talking s—,” Sikman said.
Dickens also recalled what she heard from other competitors about Booker’s conduct, saying, “In that competition atmosphere, everyone is doing a little digging. … [Trash talking] happens. It happens in all sports.”
On Monday, Booker posted a video to Instagram thanking numerous people for their assistance in what was originally a victory.
A YouTube video from what appears to be Booker’s own channel, dating back to 2017, shows Booker claiming to be “trans.”
According to Strongman Archives, Booker had not competed in women’s events prior to this past June. It is unclear whether Booker had previously competed as a man.
Official Strongman announced that Booker would be disqualified. Strongman said it had attempted to reach out to Booker, “but a response has not been received.”
Sikman hopes to see stricter measures to prevent males from sneaking into women’s competitions, saying she hopes “genetic testing or some sort of vetting process” can be employed by Official Strongman.
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Dickens said she’s been an advocate for protecting women’s sports since 2018 because she had to witness males compete in her powerlifting federation in the past. She hopes the public takes notice of this issue.
“People keep saying this is a non-issue, that this does not happen that often, that this is going to go away,” Dickens said. “Where is our trust? This just breaks down the fabric of womanhood. … We want to be trusting of everyone around us, and when men come in and deceitfully try to take what is rightfully a woman’s, it erodes the trust for that woman.”
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Southwest
College basketball player dies after suffering in-game injury
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A Connors State College basketball player died after suffering an in-game head injury, school officials said.
Sophomore Ethan Dietz died Tuesday, the school said in a statement posted to its Facebook page.
School spokesperson Shannon Rigsby said initial reports indicate Dietz suffered some type of head injury.
The ball drops through the hoop during the third quarter of a Mid-American Conference regular-season women’s basketball game between the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks and the Toledo Rockets Jan. 25, 2023, at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio. (Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“The Cowboy family has suffered an unimaginable loss. As you know, sophomore Ethan Dietz was injured during a men’s basketball game on Saturday. He passed away this morning, November 25,” the school’s statement said.
“Ethan exemplified what it means to be a Cowboy, to value hard work and being part of a team. While the team and the Cowboy community are processing our own grief, our hearts go out to his family and friends.
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Several games were canceled after Dietz’s death. (iStock)
“Ethan’s loss reminds us all how precious life is and how much those around us impact our lives. As we move through this loss together as a community, let’s be inspired by Ethan’s spirit, friendship and love.”
Several of the college’s men’s and women’s basketball games were canceled after Dietz’s death.
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Dietz was averaging 11 points per game. (iStock)
Dietz was a 6-foot-8 forward from Vilonia, Arkansas, who was averaging 11 points per game through eight games this season. He had eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes Saturday before he was injured.
A vigil in his honor is scheduled for Dec. 1 at the college’s campus in Warner, Oklahoma.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Southwest
Pregnant widow shares husband’s final text before alleged fatal sucker punch outside Arizona bar
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A pregnant widow recalled the last text message from her husband before he was killed in an altercation outside a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this month.
Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola, 29, was found lying unconscious on a sidewalk around 2:15 a.m. on Oct. 11 near Pattie’s First Avenue Lounge, after he and two friends were kicked out for unruly behavior, FOX10 Phoenix reported.
Pizzitola and his two friends had been walking outside to a rideshare pickup when one friend allegedly bumped into a woman. Drew Meneses, 24, then allegedly sucker-punched Pizzitola, knocking him unconscious.
Pizzitola’s wife, Krisan, said she had dropped him off at the lounge for what was supposed to be a fun night out with his friends just weeks before their son was due to be born.
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Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola, 29, had gone out for a night with friends when the incident happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Pizzitola Family via FOX10 Phoenix KSAZ)
“I texted him that I had gotten home and he texted me back and said that he wished that I was there, but that he was so proud of me for staying home and taking care of our baby boy and that he loved me,” Krisan told the outlet.
“That was the last text I ever got from him,” she added.
Pizzitola was rushed to a hospital, though he later died from a fatal brain injury.
On Oct. 22, police arrested five people in connection with his death, including Meneses, who was charged with second-degree murder.
Drew Meneses, 24, was charged with second-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bond. (Scottsdale Police Department / Maricopa County Jail)
Meneses is being held on $1 million bond. He told the court that the incident “was a bad night,” according to the outlet.
“It was not supposed to happen like that at all and there was no malicious intent for that at all,” he said.
Prosecutor Angela Andrews said cellphone video shows Pizzitola “standing with his arms to his side” when Meneses walks “up behind him and essentially sucker punch him in the head,” according to the outlet.
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The other suspects include Julius Husser, 27, Tony Becker, 26, and Mark Whitford, 23, all of whom were charged with aggravated assault. Husser and Becker each face an additional charge of assault. A fifth suspect, 27-year-old Krista Molina, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
Julius Husser, 27, from left, Tony Becker, 26, and Mark Whitford, 23, and Krista Molina, 27, were all charged in connection with the assault. (Scottsdale Police Department / Maricopa County Jail)
Krisan is due to give birth to a baby boy next month.
“I’m trying so hard not to be so angry at this situation and try to be the strong woman that he thinks that I am,” she told the outlet.
Krisan added that she is going to name the child TJ Vito as a tribute to his late father.
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“All he ever wanted to be was the best father ever and the best husband,” she said. “But he wasn’t finished.”
A GoFundMe page for the family said Pizzitola will continue to help others through organ donation.
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13-year-old girl narrowly escapes broad daylight abduction after biting masked attacker
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A 13-year-old girl in Texas narrowly escaped an attempted abduction in broad daylight Monday when a man tried to grab her from behind as she walked to school, authorities said. Officials said the suspect appeared to be wearing a ski mask.
The encounter happened as the teenager was walking to Central Middle School in Galveston shortly before 7 a.m., when she suddenly “heard footsteps approaching from behind,” according to the Galveston Police Department.
The unidentified man reportedly grabbed her from behind, sparking a brief struggle.
The teen bit the man twice and broke free without sustaining any physical injuries, officials said. She then ran directly to the school and informed her teachers, who called the police.
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The man accused of attempting to kidnap a 13-year-old girl is seen walking in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department)
The student’s parents later arrived at the school to accompany officers back to their apartment and retrace her route, helping them pinpoint exactly where the incident occurred.
Investigators obtained security footage from a nearby business that shows the student walking through the area, followed shortly by a man taking the same path, police said.
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A man seen on surveillance video is accused of grabbing a 13-year-old girl walking to school in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department/Google Maps)
Authorities said the video shows the suspect, believed to be a white or Hispanic male, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and what appeared to be a ski mask.
Police also issued an alert to local medical centers, asking them to notify authorities if anyone sought treatment for bite-related injuries.
Police say a man with what appeared to be a ski mask tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department)
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Officials urged anyone with information about the suspect’s identity to contact the Galveston Police Department at 409-763-3777.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Galveston Police Department for more information.
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