Meet the Olympian boyfriend of Kelsey Merritt

MANILA – Conor Dwyer, the Olympian boyfriend of model Kelsey Merritt, is currently in the Philippines for the first time.

The multi-awarded swimmer from Team USA was one of the celebrities who walked the runway during the Bench fashion show over the weekend.

In a rare opportunity, Dwyer granted a one-on-one with ABS-CBN Lifestyle where he opened up about his relationship Merritt.

According to Dwyer, he is a self-confessed fan of Merritt, who made waves last year for being the first Filipina to be featured in the coveted Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

“Who wouldn’t be a fan of Kelsey?” he gushed. “We’ve been together almost a year now. I have to say [I like] just how sweet and humble she is as a person. She hasn’t changed a bit. I really appreciate and adore how sweet and kind she is.”

Dwyer said he first met Merritt during a vacation in Costa Rica and the rest was history.

“I walked in and I shook right off the bat, nervous to meet her,” he recalled.

When asked what’s their workout routine together considering they both have sexy bodies, he said: “We do Pilates a lot. She kind of helped introduce me into Pilates. It’s very hard but we like to go to that together.”

“She’s good in the weights room, in Pilates, in yoga but when it comes to running, swimming and biking, she’s more laidback in that,” he added.

But while they are here in the Philippines, workouts may just have to take a backseat for a while since they want to have the best vacation.

“We’ve been saving up for this trip so I’m gonna eat everything that Kels tells me to eat,” he said.

Do they plan to see the beaches too?

“Yes. From Manila, we go to Palawan and then Boracay and then finishing in Siargao. I am a surfer so I think it’s only right that I check it out. Kels and I have been cold for months so we are excited to go to a warm island and her homeland. It’s pretty special,” he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Inspiring Olympian mom snatches third gold

RIO DE JANEIRO - On the one hand there was Kristin Armstrong, hoping to complete a fairytale return to road cycling with a third consecutive Olympic time trial gold the day before her 43rd birthday.

On the other there was Olga Zabelinskaya, a Russian rider with a doping past who was nearly booted out of the Games.

So when Armstrong, the last of the field to tackle the 29.7km course on a wild and wet day next to the Atlantic breakers, crossed the finish line five seconds quicker than Zabelinskaya had managed it felt fitting in so many ways.

Not only had Armstrong become the first rider to win the same road event at three different Olympics -- providing a fillip for all 40 somethings to boot -- she also spared the Games what would have been a controversial victory.

Double London medallist Zabelinskaya, who served an 18-month suspension for a banned stimulant and who got a last-gasp reprieve to compete after the IOC's attempt to ban Russia's previous dopers collapsed, had looked poised for victory.

She was almost celebrating at the finish, only to watch Armstrong, pedalling like fury, roar home in 44 minutes 26.42 seconds before collapsing on to the tarmac in exhaustion.

Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen confirmed her reputation as women's cycling's new force by adding a bronze medal to the gold she took in Sunday's road race, finishing 11 seconds back.

But the day belonged to Armstrong.

She retired in 2009 to start a family but returned to win gold in London before calling it a day again.

After a three-year break and three hip surgeries she made another comeback last year with an eye on Rio.

No wonder she cried with joy at the finish where she cuddled her son Lucas, who she later admitted had preferred watching the fencing because he thought it looked like Star Wars.

DIFFICULT JOURNEY

"It's amazing, I don't know if it has hit me yet," Armstrong told reporters after hugging her five-year-old son and holding up a sign that said "USA STRONG".

"This has been the most difficult journey. I took time off. The mind gets tired. So when I came back I was focused on Rio and it's been difficult because I've had some poor performances over the last six months."

The race was run in treacherous conditions but thankfully there were none of the accidents that marred the road race although former world champion Ellen van Dijk fell into the roadside foliage when riding uphill.

Armstrong used all her vast experience to tackle two tough climbs and stayed calm as the seconds ticked away on the run-in.

"When I looked out of the window at 4am I thought, 'Oh!' But I had two choices, get nervous, or say I'm the most experienced person out here and just attack it."

Zabelinskaya, who finished third in the road race and time trial in London, was also in tears at the end.

She warmly congratulated her American rival though and the greeting was returned despite some riders openly questioning why Zabelinskaya was racing, given the IOC's pre-Games stance.

"I didn't really think about (the doping issue)," Armstrong, the oldest female Olympic cycling champion, said.

"Olga gave me a hug on the podium and said 'I saw your son' and she said it made her smile.

"You can get really stressed out around what somebody is or is not doing so I just try to eliminate those thoughts."

Zabelinskaya said she was "happy" to end a traumatic week with a medal, having been about to board a plane home for Russia two days before the Games started.

"I am also disappointed that I could not win the gold medal because it is only five seconds to first place," she said. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris and Toby Davis)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Caitlyn Jenner legally a woman

LOS ANGELES, United States - A US judge on Friday approved a request by Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner to have her name and gender legally changed.

Los Angeles Superior Court judge Gerald Rosenberg issued the ruling during a brief hearing that was not attended by Jenner.

The transgender Olympian formerly known as Bruce Jenner sought the court ruling earlier this month but asked that much of her file remain under seal to protect her privacy and safety.

"I believe the widespread dissemination of my personal information will compromise both my privacy and my safety given the public interest in my transition, which is not all positive, and will significantly increase the likelihood I would receive further threatening attention," Jenner, 65, said.

Friday's ruling means that Jenner's birth name William Bruce Jenner will now be replaced by Caitlyn Marie Jenner.

Jenner became an American sports hero by setting a world record in the decathlon at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

But it was through marriage to the former Kris Kardashian -- matriarch of the television reality show empire with whom he had two daughters -- that Jenner once again became a household name.

Jenner came out as a transgender woman in a television interview in April, when she discussed how she had been grappling her gender identity since childhood.

She unveiled her new first name and look in June.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LOOK: Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair cover

US Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner is on the cover of Vanity Fair, as Caitlyn Jenner.

Jenner, the stepfather of Kim Kardashian, earlier revealed he is transitioning from male to female, ending long-running speculation he identifies as a woman.

The 65-year-old said he had wrestled with his sexual identity since he was a kid.

"I've always been confused about my gender identity since I was this big," he told ABC's celebrity interviewer Diane Sawyer.

"Here I am, stuck -- and I hate the word -- (a) girl stuck in a guy's body... As of now I have all the male parts and all that kind of stuff."

But asked point blank if he was a woman, Jenner said: "Yes. For all intents and purposes, I'm a woman."

Speculation that the actor, race-car enthusiast and 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics decathlon gold medalist was undergoing a sex change has been rich fodder for supermarket tabloids for months.

Supposed telltale signs, based on paparazzi photos from the streets of Los Angeles, include shaved limbs, long hair worn in a ponytail and what appears to be a sports bra under a T-shirt.

'I am not gay'

Jenner said he identifies himself as "her," but not by a specific name. The ABC interviewer used "he" and "him" throughout, without causing any apparent discomfort for the former Olympian.

He stressed the difference between gender identity and sexuality.

"I am not gay," Jenner said. "I am, as far as I know, heterosexual. I've always been with a woman, raising kids."

Just before making the long-expected announcement, Jenner symbolically let his hair down.

"Let's take the damn ponytail out," he told Sawyer, smiling.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights group GLAAD welcomed Jenner's announcement.

"Though Jenner's journey is one that is deeply personal, it is also one that will impact and inspire countless people around the world," GLAAD head Sarah Kate Ellis said.

Singer Miley Cyrus gushed on Twitter: "I LOOOOVE LOOOVE LOOOVE Bruce Jenner!!!!!!!"

Born outside New York in October 1949, thrice-married Jenner became an American sports hero when he set a world record with his Montreal decathlon victory.

Leveraging his fame, he appeared on boxes of Wheaties, a popular American cereal known as "the breakfast of champions," then tried his hand as a movie actor, with less than stellar results.

But it was through his marriage to the former Kris Kardashian that he once again became a household name in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" in which he appeared as the sometimes bemused stepfather of her flamboyant daughters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe.

The couple have two daughters of their own, but they obtained a divorce in December, 14 months after separating -- although he has been seen still wearing a wedding ring.

Hero once again
"Not only was I able to call him my husband for 25 years and father of my children, I am now able to call him my hero," Kris Jenner tweeted.

Jenner's 89-year-old mother Esther hailed her son's announcement, comparing her pride to that when he won at the Olympics.

"I never thought I could be more proud of you. But I'm learning I can be," she wrote.

Jenner's son Brandon tweeted simply: "Proud son," along with an Instagram picture of himself as a young boy perched on his smiling father's shoulders.

Step-daughter Kim Kardashian trumpeted:

"Love is the courage to live the truest, best version of yourself. Bruce is love. I love you Bruce. #ProudDaughter."

Her sister Khloe wrote: "Bruzer, I'm soooo proud of you! Dads really are heros."

National Center for Transgender Equality advocacy group executive director Mara Keisling called Jenner's declaration "one of the most profound displays of bravery and courage I've seen."

Jenner, clearly relieved to have finally come clean, said: "I'm saying goodbye to people's perceptions of me and who I am.

"I'm not saying goodbye to me because this has always been me." - with a report from Agence France-Presse

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Bruce Jenner 'gender change' captures US attention

WASHINGTON - Olympic champion turned reality TV star Bruce Jenner has Americans' rapt attention once again amid talk that he is soon to come out as transgender.

People magazine, a trusted conduit for Hollywood publicists, reported this week that Jenner, 65, would open up in a forthcoming interview with ABC News.

"Bruce is transitioning to a woman," the celebrity news weekly quoted a source close to the family as saying, after weeks of tabloid speculation.

"He is finally happy and his family is accepting of what he's doing. He's in such a great space. That's why it's the perfect time to do something like this."

Jenner's 88-year-old mother Esther Jenner, who lives in Idaho, meanwhile told RadarOnline.com that she had "just learned" about her son's gender transition.

"I have never been more proud of Bruce for who he is, himself as a father, as an Olympian, a wonderful public speaker," she told the gossip website.

"He instills enthusiasm in people. He's gifted."

In the latest twist, the Kardashian family -- into which Jenner has been married -- cancelled all press events Thursday in the run-up to season 10 of their hit reality TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

Jenner himself has been lying low, ahead of the premiere of a documentary that will reportedly chronicle his gender transition.

Speculation that the actor, race-car enthusiast and 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics decathlon gold medallist is undergoing a sex change has been rich fodder for supermarket tabloids for months.

Supposed telltale signs, based on paparazzi photos from the streets of Los Angeles, include shaved limbs, long hair worn in a ponytail and what appears to be a sports bra under a T-shirt.

Throat surgery clue

In late January, Jenner was seen emerging from a Beverly Hills clinic with a bandage around neck, presumably after surgery to flatten his Adam's apple.

Known as a laryngeal shave, the procedure -- which involves reducing cartilage in the throat for a more feminine look -- is common among transgenders.

"I just never liked my trachea," he told the TMZ.com gossip website prior to the outpatient operation.

American society is widely perceived as becoming more accepting of gender diversity, as seen by the legalization of same-sex marriage in many states.

Transgender people, however, still face "staggering levels of discrimination and violence," according to LGBT media activist group GLAAD.

In the media, they typically appear as either victims or villains, GLAAD said, although the Golden Globe-winning Amazon original series "Transparent" has cast them in a more sympathetic light.

Born outside New York in October 1949, thrice-married Jenner became an American sports hero when he set a world record with his Montreal decathlon victory.

Leveraging his fame, he appeared on boxes of Wheaties, a popular American cereal known as "the breakfast of champions," then tried his hand as a movie actor, with less than stellar results.

He did better on television, appearing in the 1980s police series "CHiPs" and sitcom "Silver Spoons" among other shows, and in 2003 the American version of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!"

But it was through his marriage to the former Kris Kardashian that he once again became a household name in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" in which he appeared as the sometimes bemused stepfather of her flamboyant daughters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe.

"I had it all, and then I met Kris," he quipped in one episode.

"It's typical for me to be forgotten in this family," he added in another.

He and Kris Kardashian have two daughters of their own, but they obtained a divorce in December, 14 months after separating -- although he has been seen still wearing a wedding ring.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US swimmer Phelps sentenced to 18 months probation for drunken driving

BALTIMORE - American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, pleaded guilty on Friday to driving under the influence of alcohol and received 18 months of supervised probation and a one-year suspended jail sentence.

The 18-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested for drunken driving early on Sept. 30 after speeding and then crossing the double yellow lines inside a Baltimore tunnel, police said.

"The last three months of my life have been some of the hardest times I've ever gone through, some of the biggest learning experiences I've ever had," Phelps, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, told reporters.

"I'm happy to be moving forward. I'll continue to grow from this."

Phelps, 29, was clocked by radar at around 1:40 a.m. traveling 84 miles per hour (135 kph) in a 45-mph (72-kph) zone, police said, adding that he blew a .14 on a Breathalyzer, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 in Maryland.

He faced up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"I hope we don't have this conversation again and I'm optimistic that we won't have this conversation again," Judge Nathan Braverman told Phelps during his sentencing.

Among the observers in the courtroom were Phelps' mother, Debbie, his two sisters, and close friend Ray Lewis, the retired 13-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.

Police said an officer followed Phelps' 2014 Land Rover onto northbound Interstate 95, through the Fort McHenry Tunnel, and pulled him over just beyond the tunnel's toll plaza.

The drunken-driving arrest was the second for Phelps, who has spent most his life working feverishly in the pool but admits he likes to have a good time when not competing.

Following his arrest, Phelps, who is eyeing a spot on the U.S. team for the 2016 Olympics, was suspended for six months by USA Swimming and barred from representing the United States at the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships in Russia.

Phelps said he completed a 45-day rehab program at an Arizona treatment center following his arrest, continues aftercare in Baltimore, and will participate in Alcoholics Anonymous.

"What I did was wrong, and I made a bad mistake," Phelps told Braverman. "I'm looking forward to having a much brighter future than I had in the past."

Phelps was charged in Salisbury, Maryland, in 2004 for drunken driving. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired in exchange for 18 months' probation.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pistorius gets emotional at graphic evidence

PRETORIA - Oscar Pistorius buried his head in his hands and wiped away tears after a South African court on Tuesday heard grisly details of the killing of his girlfriend, the first sign of emotion from the track star in his two-day murder trial.

The Olympian and Paralympian has been largely impassive during the trial for the murder of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp in his suburban Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year. Pistorius has pled not guilty, saying he shot Steenkamp through a toilet door after mistaking her for an intruder.

He leaned forward in the dock and clasped his head between his hands as lead defence lawyer Barry Roux read out details from the post mortem, including that "some fragments of the bullet" were removed from the 29-year-old's head.

Roux also heaped scorn on the testimony of neighbour Michelle Burger, who said she heard a scream fade away after the shots, saying that Steenkamp would have "dropped immediately" due to a bullet in the head.

Steenkamp was declared dead at the scene after being hit in the head, arm and hip from three bullets from a 9 mm pistol.

Pistorius, dressed a dark suit and tie, later appeared to wipe away tears.

The trial, which could see one of global sports' most admired figures jailed for life, has drawn comparisons with the high-profile murder trial of American football star and actor O.J. Simpson two decades ago.

Burger broke toward the end of her own testimony, following an angry exchange with Roux, who had sought to show she had mistaken the screams of agitated Pistorius for that of a woman.

The court also heard from a another neighbour, Estelle van der Merwe, who testified that she heard what sounded like an argument early on the morning Steenkamp was killed.

"From where I was sitting it seemed like two people were having an argument but I couldn't hear the other person's voice," she said through an Afrikaans language interpreter.

MEDIA WARNING

The judge also warned the media to behave after a local television station leaked a photo of the state's first witness, who had asked that her image not be broadcast, another delay to a trial that has already been hampered by late starts and problems with court interpreters.

Judge Thokozile Masipa ordered an investigation after broadcaster eNCA showed a photo of Burger during the audio broadcast of her second day of emotional testimony.

While the trial is being televised live, a previous court order had ruled witnesses must give their consent to be filmed.

Burger, a university lecturer who testified on Monday that she heard "bloodcurdling" screams from a woman followed by gun shots, had not consented to being filmed and only the audio of her testimony was being broadcast.

The station accompanied the audio feed of her testimony on Tuesday with a picture of her. After prosecutor Gerrie Nel pointed out the leak, Masipa called for a brief adjournment.

"I am warning the media, if you do not behave, you are not going to be treated with soft gloves by this court," Masipa, herself a former journalist, said when the court resumed.

The station's head of news apologised, saying in a statement it was a "bad judgement call" to use the photo.

Masipa has also restricted the media from publishing photos of witnesses who have not consented to be filmed.

A separate South African court ruled last month that the trial should be televised, saying it was vital for impoverished South Africans who feel ill-treated by the justice system to get a first-hand look at the proceedings.

The start of the trial was delayed by 90 minutes on Monday due to a problem with the Afrikaans language interpreter. Burger began her testimony in Afrikaans but later switched to English after disagreeing with the interpreter's translation of some words.

(Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com