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Joseph Baena, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, wins Iron Gladiator bodybuilding competition

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Joseph Baena, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, wins Iron Gladiator bodybuilding competition

Watch out, Arnold Schwarzenegger — there’s a new champ in the family.

Joseph Baena, the youngest son of the “Terminator” star, made his amateur debut at the National Physique Committee Natural Colorado State Championships last month and swept the competition, winning first place in three categories: Men’s Open Bodybuilding Heavyweight, Men’s Classic Physique True Novice and Men’s Classic Physique Novice.

Then, last week, he won big in Corona at the International Natural Bodybuilding Assn. Iron Gladiator competition, where he came in first in the Classic Physique division and scored his pro card, which paves the way for him to compete in the natural equivalent of his dad’s famous competition, the Professional Natural Bodybuilding Assn. Natural Olympia.

“Moments I’ll never forget!” Baena posted on social media. “What an incredible experience these last 3 months have been. My first prep and my first body building shows. I’ve learned more about myself, training and dieting in these few months than I have since I started lifting weights. Stepping on stage has always been a scary feat for me but creating the goal and actually going for it is one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

“Im grateful for the experience and grateful for all the people in my corner supporting and cheering me on! Cant wait for what’s next. My message to you is to take that chance and chase your goals and dreams!”

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Joseph Baena enjoyed a trip to In-N-Out Burger after winning first place at Iron Gladiator.

(Ryan O’Connor)

Schwarzenegger won the Mr. Olympia title seven times with the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation, including his six-year streak from 1970 to 1975. He notoriously won again in 1980. While Baena can now compete as a pro in the natural league if he continues, he’ll still need to place highly in forthcoming PNBA shows to land a spot at the Natural Olympia contest, which will be held at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in November.

Just like his dad, Baena, 28, is a regular at Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach where he has trained leading up to his debut as a competitive bodybuilder. Unlike his dad, who has been candid about his past steroid use, Baena has approached the sport au naturel.

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The father and son strongmen have frequently paired up to train together and have been spotted rehearsing the elegant poses that made Schwarzenegger a star. Baena told Entertainment Tonight last summer that his dad is at the gym bright and early and says if he’s not there at 7 a.m., Schwarzenegger won’t hold his tongue.

“I’m there every day, or I try to be there every day,” he said. “We train together. We love working out together. And he’s a great workout partner.”

A line of five bodybuilders including winner Joseph Baena holding a sword and helmet center stage

Joseph Baena won the INBA Iron Gladiator bodybuilding competition, held last Saturday and Sunday, earning his pro card in the process.

(Ryan O’Connor)

Baena, who has been open about struggling with his weight when he was younger, said ahead of the competition that his fitness journey has been a long one. “Started swimming and lost a lot of the fat,” he said. “It wasn’t until my junior year of college, so about eight years ago, that I started lifting weights and fell in love with bodybuilding, seeing the improvement, the muscle gain, the strength gain, and I fell in love with the sport, even watching.

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“But this year was the year that I said, enough being afraid, enough overthinking, it’s time to commit. Just do a show.”

Baena, who’s a luxury real estate agent when he’s not at the gym or eating burgers in his Speedo, has shared some of his prep journey online. He frequently posts cooking tutorials that focus on ease and high protein.

In 2022, Baena competed on Season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” and used his bodybuilding chops to pull off challenging lifts, basically bench-pressing his partner Alexis Warr mid-tango. He was eliminated five weeks into the season, ultimately placing 11th out of 16 contestants.

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Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley get heated with official over pace of play at PGA Championship

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Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley get heated with official over pace of play at PGA Championship

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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.

However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.

Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.

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Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.

“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”

Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.

Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.

It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.

Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.

Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Sparks hold off late Toronto Tempo rally, earn first win of season

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Sparks hold off late Toronto Tempo rally, earn first win of season

The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.

Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.

The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.

Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.

Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.

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Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.

The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.

The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.

A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.

Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.

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Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.

In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.

Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.

The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

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Sky vs Mercury betting preview: Why the over 166.5 looks like the play in this WNBA matchup

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Sky vs Mercury betting preview: Why the over 166.5 looks like the play in this WNBA matchup

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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.

The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.

Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)

There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.

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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.

They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.

The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)

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It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.

I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.

The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.

Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)

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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 

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