track

Willie Colón, a legendary trombonist and pioneer of salsa music, has died. He was 75.

His death on Saturday was confirmed in a Facebook post by his longtime manager, Pietro Carlos.

News of the singer’s condition circulated on the web in recent days. Yonkers Voice News reported Colón was admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester hospital in Bronxville, N.Y., on Tuesday with respiratory problems and he appeared fragile.

:

Born William Anthony Colón Román on April 28, 1950, to Puerto Rican parents in New York City, Colón first picked up the trumpet in school. It seemed like a natural choice for the former bugle-playing Boy Scout, who attended the youth program at the suggestion of his grandmother.

“So I could learn how to be a good boy,” said Colón in a 1988 interview with Associated Press.

By age 13, Colón had started a band and played at some weddings and in the bustling nightclubs of New York City. At one point, he forged a cabaret card, a mandated ID for musicians and entertainers between 1940 and 1967 who worked in establishments serving alcohol, which required individuals to be 18 years and older.

The thrilling 1960s Latin music scene in New York consumed Colón, who was deeply inspired by Latin jazz pioneer and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, once part of a main act at the Palladium Ballroom who went on to form La Perfecta, a Cuban conjunto that revolutionized the New York Latin music scene with its inclusion of two trombones, played by Barry Rogers and Jose Rodriguez, instead of the costly four-set trumpets.

But Colón’s instrumental preference changed once he heard the bodied timbre of Mon Rivera’s all-trombone brass lineup marching to a bomba beat. “It would knock my socks off,” said Colón in a 1988 interview with Associated Press, leading the singer to teach himself how to play the instrument.

By age 15, Colón was signed to Fania Records. Two years later at age 17, he went on to release his debut album, “El Malo,” a record that defined the fierce sounds of New York’s salsa scene, which Colón later described as the Latin equivalent of rap.

According to his former label, the name of “El Malo” was bestowed upon Colón by older musicians who sought to mock his trombone range at the time, though the young bandleader would find a way to use the label to his advantage.

On the LP, Colón’s sound moved away from the polished mambo sounds of orchestral bands decades prior, in large part due to Puerto Rican singer Héctor Lavoe, whose vocals can be heard in tracks like the gritty “El Malo” that vows to knock out any wanna-be street phony.

The pair would go on to record a total of 14 albums through 1973, with Lavoe’s talents for improvisation complementing Colón’s raw, aggressive trombone.

“Salsa came from the same kind of situation that rap does,” Colon said in a 1992 interview with The Times. “It was kind of a hybrid of a bunch of different elements. Hector had just come from Puerto Rico and didn’t speak English. I didn’t speak much Spanish, I was a little New York kid. We got together and just started with the same kind of irreverent, rebellious attitude, writing songs about the baddest guy on the block, drugs and sex. Before that, the lyrics and whole attitude of Latin music was, ‘Look at me dance, listen to those drums, I’m cutting sugar cane.’ It was a rural, folkloric emphasis; we changed it to an inner-city kind of culture.”

Colón’s impact went beyond live music. The album cover of “El Malo,” which showed two serious profiles of Colón, depicted the singer as a sly bad boy, and ultimately gave rise to his gangster persona, which would be a throughline in future projects, including his sophomore 1968 album, “The Hustler” which featured the band with fitted suits, smoking cigars and placing bets in a pool hall. His 1970 album “Cosa Nuestra” featured Colón smoking a cigar while overlooking a dead body in broad daylight in Manhattan’s East River Bikeway. Most famously, his 1971 album, “La Gran Fuga,” depicted the singer on a fake FBI “Most Wanted” poster.

These mob-like depictions occurred long before cult-favorite films like Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 “The Godfather” and Brian De Palma 1983’s “Scarface” became the prominent gangster storylines various male acts venerate in their music.

By 1973, Colón and Lavoe split — allegedly due to Lavoe’s drug addiction leading to many missed concert performances — although the two would remain frequent collaborators until the latter’s death in 1993 due to complications of AIDS.

The Nuyorican musician would introduce Blades as the new singer of his orchestra, whom he had met years prior while visiting Panama during carnivals. They collaborated briefly on Colón’s 1975 LP “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly,” cementing their partnership in the 1977 album “Metiendo Mano,” which delved into socio-political themes, notably in their track “Pablo Pueblo,” which shares the story of a working class man with broken dreams halted by toils of daily life. Other tracks like “Plantación Adentro,” detailed the story of Camilo Manrique, a fictionalized enslaved character who died at the hands of a Spanish colonizer in 1745.

Many considered this album Colón’s first foray into intellectual salsa — in large part because of Blades, who had a knack for storytelling and political interests (he unsuccessfully ran for president of Panama in 1994) — that addressed colonialism and class disparities. Together they released three albums, including their 1978 “Siembra,” one of the bestselling salsa albums at that time; from the start, their track “Plastico” fused the popular disco music of the moment while addressing superficial beauty standards and colorism in Latin America.

According to 1996 reporting by The Times, “Siembra” delivered pulsating salsa rhythms that “carried messages of freedom at a time when most of Latin America was oppressed by military dictatorships.”

By 1982, Blades and Colón parted ways, but they collaborated again on projects like their 2005 LP “Tras La Tormenta” — which led the bandleader to sing for the first time in his career, “I had to start from zero, and it took me many years to feel comfortable,” Colón said.

This newfound independence gave rise to some of Colón’s most famous songs, including his 1995 track “Talento de Televisión,” an upbeat song with his signature trombone wailing in the backdrop as he sang about an attractive woman with a lack of talent.

Many across Latin America might be familiar with his 1989 song “El Gran Varon” — which narrated the story of a trans woman who is rejected by her father and presumably dies of AIDS — a landmark salsa song that brought awareness to LGBTQ+ themes during the AIDS crisis. Colón would later serve as a member of the Latino Commission on AIDS. “El Gran Varon” is an anthem to this day.

Colón released more than 40 albums in all.

He also acted, taking roles in films including 1982’s “Vigilante,” the 1983 sports drama “The Last Fight,” as well as one-episode stints in TV shows like “Miami Vice” and “The Cosby Show.” He was even featured in Bad Bunny’s “Nuevayol” music video, cutting a slice of cake; the 31-year-old superstar pays homage to the singer in its lyrics: “Willie Colón, me dicen el malo, ey. Porque pasan los años y sigo dando palo”/ “Willie Colón, they say I’m bad, because the years come and I’m still hitting.”

In his later years, he became more involved in politics. In 1994, he unsuccessfully went up against U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel of the Bronx in the Democratic primary. He also ran as a Democrat for Public Advocate in 2001, focusing on community issues, education and AIDS awareness, but failed to gain the popular vote. In 2008, he endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton over Barack Obama in the primary election.

On May 26, 2014, after graduating from Westchester County Police Academy, Colón was sworn in as a deputy sheriff for the Department of Public Safety, later becoming deputy lieutenant.

As President Trump took office in his first term, Colón’s politics shifted in support of the right-wing candidate, and he said he would be open to performing at his inauguration in 2017.

Billboard magazine named him one of the most influential Latino artists of all time in 2018.

Colón is survived by his wife, Julia Colón, and his four sons and grandsons.

Polish short track speed skater Kamila Sellier has undergone surgery after she was struck in the face by a blade in a serious crash at Milan-Cortina 2026.

Sellier was racing in the quarter-finals of the women’s 1500m on the final night of short track competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

She was brought down along with 14-time Olympic medallist Arianna Fontana of Italy and American Kristen Santos-Griswold, who was penalised for attempting an illegal pass that contributed to the crash.

As Santos-Griswold fell, her skate caught Sellier and sliced her under her left eye.

Racing was paused while Sellier received attention behind the privacy of a white sheet. She was then stretched off the ice, managing to give a thumbs up to the crowd as she left.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — In some families, children are expected to attend the same college as their parents or root for mom or dad’s favorite team.

In Azaria Hill’s family, the children were encouraged to go to the Olympics. Not to watch, but to compete.

Hill’s father Virgil, a boxer, earned a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Games. Hill’s mother, Denean Howard, met Virgil at the 1984 Games and won Olympic gold that year running with her sister, Sherri Howard, in the 4×400-meter relay. The sisters won silver medals in the 4×400 at the 1988 Olympics before Denean earned another silver at the 1992 Games.

“At a very young age, since I could understand what the Olympics were and knew what my family did as Olympians, I knew that’s something that I wanted to do and wanted to experience,” Hill said.

But her top marks of 11.70 seconds in the 100 meters and 23.93 in the 200 didn’t rank in the top 100 for U.S. women in 2021, her senior year at Nevada Las Vegas. So if she was going to continue the family tradition, she knew she’d have to find another sport.

Jadin O’Brien was in a similar fix. She won two NCAA titles in the pentathlon but finished seventh at the U.S. trials ahead of the 2024 Games. To realize her Olympic dream, she’d have to change sports too.

Luckily for both women, there was a well-worn path from the track to the Winter Olympics: Just hop onto a sled. On Friday, Hill and O’Brien will complete their journeys when the two-woman bobsled competition gets underway at the Cortina Sliding Centre.

“I never thought that this would even be a possibility or an opportunity,” Hill said. “It just kind of fell into my lap and I was really good at it. I stuck it out and worked hard and here I am a Winter Olympian.”

She has Kaysha Love, a UNLV teammate, to thank for that. An 11-time high school track champion in Utah, Love was encouraged by her college coach to take part in a 12-day bobsled rookie camp after COVID shortened the track season her senior year. That led to more auditions and 14 months later she and pilot Kaillie Humphries won a World Cup race.

U.S. bobsledders Azaria Hill, left, and Kaysha Love take part in a training run Wednesday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

(Aijaz Rahi / Associated Press)

After just six races, Love made the 2022 U.S. Olympic team as a brakewoman. She then tried to sell Hill on the sport.

“She was like ‘I think you should try it. Let’s see if you can do it,’” Hill remembered. “I went to my first rookie camp and I did really well, got invited back to some more camps, and ended up making my first World Cup team.”

That was in December 2023. Two years later she made it to the Olympics as the brakewoman for Love, who is now a driver.

“That’s completely opposite of what I thought I’d be doing,” Hill said. “The first time it is definitely scary. I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if I even want to do this.’ It is an acquired taste.

“But Keisha Love was just super positive.”

O’Brien’s rise to Olympian in the two-person bobsled, the second-fastest sliding sport of the Winter Games, has been even swifter. Elana Meyers Taylor, a five-time Olympian and five-time medalist, began recruiting O’Brien to be her brakewoman after the Beijing Games. At first she resisted, but last summer O’Brien decided she needed a rest from track “and bobsled seemed like a good alternative, so I took it up.”

Jadin O’Brien, left, and Elana Meyers Taylor prepare for a bobsled training run at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Wednesday.

(Aijaz Rahi / Associated Press)

In her World Cup debut four months later, O’Brien pushed Taylor to a fourth-place finish, earning a spot on the Olympic team.

“There was so much I needed to learn,” she said. “Luckily there were quite a few girls who were very patient with me, who helped me understand the sport, understand form.”

One of the most important things she had to learn is when to pull the brake.

“If you do it too early, then you’re going to drastically hurt your time. If you do it too late, there’s a chance you’re going to ruin the runners because the track ends at a certain point,” O’Brien said.

And that decision has to be made in a heartbeat at the end of a mile-long ice chute covered at speeds exceeding 90 mph.

“It’s terrifying. You’re going super, super fast. As a brakeman you can’t see what’s going on because your head is down,” she said. “But at the same time it’s very thrilling. You feel like you’re flying if the run is done right. It’s almost addicting.”

Track athletes like Hill, 27, and O’Brien, 23, have a long history of success in bobsled, where speed and power at the start are important. Lauryn Williams won a gold medal on the track in the 2012 London Games and a silver on the back of Taylor’s sled two years later in Sochi. Lolo Jones won three world championships on the track and two in a bobsled. Most of the Jamaican team in Cortina is made up of sprinters who couldn’t catch Usain Bolt, so they climbed in a bobsled instead.

“They’ve got just an athleticism that is very applicable to pushing sleds,” said Curtis Tomasevicz, a former football player at Nebraska who won gold and silver Olympic medals in the four-man bobsled before becoming a coach with the U.S. team. “We’re recruiting athletes that have a sprinting ability and we feel like we can teach them to be bobsledders in a short amount of time.”

For Hill, that transition from the sprints to a sled has allowed her to carry on a family tradition. And she’ll have 11 relatives — including two Olympic medalists — at the Cortina Sliding Centre on Friday when she creates her own memories as the first Hill to compete in the Winter Games.

“They’re super excited seeing me on this journey, being that I’ve been able to kind of follow my own mission, create something for myself,” she said. “It’s almost like they’re kind of experiencing it again, but just in a different way.

“This has definitely exceeded my expectations of what I thought being an Olympian would be. It’s so much fun.”

Eight years later, the latest UK Sport funding allocation of just under £2m has been presented as a total for short track, figure and long track speed skating.

So short track is caught in the situation which befalls many Olympic sports in Britain – they need to perform at the Games to get more funding, but without the funding they struggle to achieve success.

Asked what work is being done to fix short track, British Olympic Association (BOA) chair Dame Katherine Grainger told BBC Sport: “As much potential as we have in that team, there is more untapped.

“It is not a sport we have a legacy in, so that opens the door – we need to learn from other countries where we can.”

Add in the fact that there are few sports in the world more chaotic and unpredictable than short track.

Christie was Britain’s most recognisable speed skater a decade ago when she won three gold medals at the 2017 World Championships, but a series of crashes and disqualifications ruined her Olympic dreams in 2014 and 2018.

And this year, Treacy’s luck was also out. Take his 1,000m final – usually this event would have six racers, but in Milan had nine because three athletes were advanced to the medal race after being illegally hindered in their semi-finals.

Would Treacy, who was running in third when he tangled with Liu, have won a medal if there were fewer men on the track? Ultimately, hypotheticals do not put cash in the bank.

Treacy could not hide his funding frustrations when speaking to the BBC following that final.

“If we only had a bit more support going through the Olympic cycle,” he said. “In the UK we don’t even have an ice centre which is safe enough for competitions.

“In the UK we have to look at ourselves and see we need a facility where we can train at the top level, instead of having to go to other countries.”

Treacy is correct that there is no venue in Britain that could host an international short track event, because there are no rinks with the soft boards needed around the border to protect racers when there are crashes.

England beat Scotland by five wickets in India to recover position in group at 2026 T20 World Cup.

Tom Banton’s unbeaten 63 led England to a five-wicket T20 World Cup victory over Scotland in Kolkata on Saturday that kept Harry Brook’s side on course for the Super Eights.

Victory in their final Group C match against Italy on Monday at the same Eden Gardens stadium will see England safely into the next round.

After bowling Scotland out for 152, England racked up 155-5 in 18.2 overs, with Jacob Bethell scoring 32, Sam Curran 28 and Will Jacks (16 off 10 balls) hitting a six and a four to finish the job.

England wobbled at the start of their chase as the new white ball swung under the floodlights with the sun going down.

Phil Salt fell third ball to Brandon McMullen for just two and when Jos Buttler picked out McMullen off Brad Currie, they were 13-2.

Scotland bowled tightly until Bethell broke the shackles by hitting McMullen for a six and two fours in the fifth over.

Spinner Mark Watt also came in for some punishment, conceding 22 off his first over as Banton took him for three huge sixes.

A 66-run partnership ended when the left-handed Bethell, on 32, helped a leg-side delivery from Oliver Davidson into the grateful hands of Brad Wheal at short fine leg.

Captain Brook did not last long, scooping Michael Leask over his shoulder to Wheal to make it 86-4, but England were always in control and got home with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier, England’s bowlers found their mojo and vindicated Brook’s decision to field on winning the toss.

After being smacked to all parts of Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in conceding 196 to the West Indies on Wednesday, England’s attack exerted much more control at Eden Gardens.

Captain Richie Berrington top-scored for Scotland with 49 off 32 balls with five fours and two sixes.

He and Tom Bruce put on 71 for the fourth wicket, but it was their only notable partnership.

Spinner Liam Dawson ended it in the 13th over when Bruce was caught for 24, Curran providing the safe hands at deep square leg.

When Adil Rashid trapped Berrington lbw in the next over, Scotland collapsed, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs from 113-3.

Jofra Archer had been expensive in the two previous outings but made the early breakthroughs before finishing with a brilliant 2-24 off his four overs.

In his second over, he hurried George Munsey into top-edging to Banton and two balls later had McMullen caught by Salt in the deep.

Michael Jones (33) holed out to Bethell off Curran, and Scotland were 42-3 at the end of the six-over power play and never threatened a competitive total.

Rashid was the best of the England bowlers with 3-36 from his four overs, while Dawson took 2-34.

Anyone who thought Cruz Beckham was just another nepo-baby musician should think again — that boy is seriously good on a guitar.

He made his live radio debut on Chris Evans’s TFI Unplugged on Virgin Radio UK with his band The Breakers and proved his mettle.

Their new track, For Your Love, is packed with promise — gentle and lilting before it ramps up to an Indie-anthemic chorus.

The video is also out now and features a special appearance from Victoria’s dad, Tony Adams.

Cruz said: “Tony is my grandad, he is an amazing human. He was in a band when he was younger. I love talking to him about music and playing songs.

“Once I found out he was part of a band I got a lot more into it. I found out about The Beatles because of him.”

STONE RISES

Stephen Graham teams up with huge rapper to help make Stone Island cool again

ROB THE MENTOR

Robbie Williams mentoring Brit rock star to stop him going off the rails

It’s clear the Fab Four are a big influence for Cruz, along with a smudge of Oasis and a large splattering of The Stone Roses — his dad David’s favourite band.

Chatting after their performance, Cruz said: “I’ve always wanted to be in a band. Growing up, listening to so much band music, it was always important to me.

“When I was in the studio, there was always something missing. I always wanted stuff around me.

“We met through my girlfriend [Jackie Apostel] who is a songwriter. I went to see one of their gigs and the sparks flew from there.”

The group have already put out tracks including Optics and Lick The Toad, but like Cruz, For Your Love is my favourite by far. Cruz added: “Optics wasn’t my favourite song.

“I wanted to put For Your Love out first. I just think it was a different way into it.”

Cruz and The Breakers have just finished their debut run of shows with Welsh indie group, The Royston Club, and are now preparing to head out on their first solo tour — with almost all of the 14 dates nearly sold out.

“The Royston boys hadn’t heard anything that we were playing,” Cruz explained.

“They didn’t know if we could play a tune to be honest and they just accepted us and it was nuts. It was a whole new thing for me, I’d never really gigged in front of people. But every night it got easier and a lot less stressful.”

Opening up about their influences, Cruz, alongside his bandmates Dan Ewins, Telmo Seixas and Dario Scotti, all cited rock bands — including Machine Head, Rage Against The Machine and Born Of Osiris — as their first shows.

Cruz was more true to form though, joking with Chris: “Other than Spice Girls age two?

“My dad took me to a Stone Roses gig at Old Trafford.”

Chris then revealed David had been listening from home and told Cruz: “Now you’ve mentioned your mum and dad.

“We played Stone Roses at 6:45am and your dad texted me and said: ‘You can’t get enough Stone Roses.’”

True that, David.

I think there’s an exciting future ahead for Cruz and co, so take a look at their performance on Virgin Radio UK’s YouTube channel to see them singing live for yourself.

Millie looks ace

It’s game, set and matching outfit for Millie Bobby Brown as she poses on a tennis court to model her latest fashion range.

The Brit actress was promoting her clobber for fashion brand Florence By Mills, while taking a break after a mammoth tour for the final series of cult Netflix show Stranger Things.

The tennis ball in an ice-cream cone was certainly a stranger thing – but she serves up a good look.

Scott backing UK Eurovision hope

The UK’s Eurovision entry has finally been chosen and Scott Mills has high hopes.

The Radio 2 DJ, who goes to the contest every year, has revealed the BBC are playing him the chosen song next week ahead of a grand announcement later this month.

And he insists we have a good chance, despite mixed results recently, as the standard of our tunes has improved.

Asked in an exclusive chat if he has heard it, Scott said: “No, but I know they’re going to play it to me next week. But I’m really in the dark about it this year.

“I don’t feel embarrassed by any of the artists or songs that we have sent recently.

“I’m not gonna say when, but I’ve worked on Eurovision so long that when they would play me the song I’d be like ‘OK, right then, I’ve got to sell this now….’

“It was quite a while ago now. And that doesn’t really happen any more.

“But I say that now…”

Yesterday Scott was named in Attitude 101, empowered by Bentley, in it’s annual list of 100 LGBTQ+ trailblazers.

Scott, who attended the glitzy lunch with his husband Sam, explained: “I’ve never had a gay honour.

“This magazine is iconic, and also, I have mad imposter syndrome so I’m like, ‘Why am I on this list?!’”

But he is thrilled that homophobia, for him, is in the past.

He said: “When we did Race Across The World, I thought that there might be, like, ‘Oh, God, a gay couple,’ because that’s kind of where I’m from, and that’s what I’m used to.

“And I think it’s all in our heads. That’s what really made me go, ‘Oh, OK, there has been a shift here.’”

And although they aren’t considering it now, having a child isn’t off the table.

He added of becoming a dad: “It’s a huge thing. I would like to, but my schedule is so unpredictable and ridiculous still.

“I thought by this time in my career, things would have kind of calmed down a bit, but it’s got busier than ever.”

Tate’s Can do attitude

Tate McRae’s fans are still right behind her, it seems, despite the singer causing a storm after backing Team USA in the Winter Olympics rather than her native Canada.

Die-hards mobbed her as she enjoyed a night out in Paris with mates.

But Tate, who looked chic in a black leather jacket and miniskirt, happily signed autographs and posed for selfies.

It’s the first time she has been seen out since she made a very Gen Z apology for getting behind the Yanks.

She shared a sweet picture of herself as a child, waving a Canadian flag, and wrote: “Y’all know I’m Canada down.”

I’m sure the cash Tate got for this gig more than made up for the criticism.

Tom’s on hand for proposal

My favourite pop star Tom Grennan helped pull off a heart-melting proposal on Capital Breakfast yesterday.

Show hosts Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby have spent the past fortnight dropping hints about their “secret fiance” (Darren Spencer) during their shows but his girlfriend, Sophie Black, who listened every day on her commute was none the wiser.

Sophie believed she was a competition winner who had bagged a night’s stay at the Jumeirah Hotel in London.

But at breakfast a flash mob of choir singers got up and started performing, Tom popped out to sing his hit, Little Bit Of Love, and Darren got down on one knee.

Sophie, who said yes, said: “Never in a million years did I think he could pull off something like that.”

Katherine Ryan looked as smooth as the cartoon characters at London’s new Pixar attraction.

She showed off the results of her facelift as she cradled daughter Fenna at the launch of the Mundo Pixar Experience in Wembley on Thursday.

Mermaid is little bit naughty

The tale of the Little Mermaid is tipped on its head in a new musical – telling the story from the villain’s perspective.

Camp and hilarious show Unfortunate: The Untold Story Of Ursula The Sea Witch is packed with naughty gags and belting songs, and sees Sam Buttery play the deliciously wicked protagonist.

It launched at London’s Other Palace theatre . . .  although drag queen Tiara Skye caused quite a stir in the audience.

The TikTok star, who it seemed had enjoyed a few drinks, repeatedly heckled the actors and left some of them clearly miffed.

It’s fair to say that Doctor Who’s Yasmin Finney, who was unfortunately sat next to Tiara, looked absolutely mortified by the crazy outbursts.

Taylor Swift scores her sixth No1 single with Opalite, after originally peaking at No2 last year. Olivia Dean, right, stays top of the album charts, ahead of Bad Bunny, whose Super Bowl show has propelled Debí Tirar Más Fotos up to No2 and his single DtMF is at No4.

Single

1. Opalite – Taylor Swift
2. Raindance – Dave & Tems
3. Where Is My Husband! – Raye
4. DtMF – Bad Bunny
5. Rein Me In – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean
6. So Easy (To Fall In Love) – Olivia Dean
7. Lush Life – Zara Larsson
8. Man I Need – Olivia Dean
9. I Just Might – Bruno Mars
10. Stateside – Pink Pantheress with Zara Larsson

Albums

1. The Art Of Loving – Olivia Dean
2. Debí Tirar Más Fotos – Bad Bunny
3. The Fall-Off – J Cole
4. 50 Years: Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
5. The Highlights – The Weeknd
6. Piss In The Wind – Joji
7. Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
8. The Essential – Michael Jackson
9. You’ll Be Alright Kid (Chapter 1) – Alex Warren
10. +–=÷×– (Tour Collection – Ed Sheeran

The track and field season begins in less than a month, and for an early look at who’s gotten faster should happen on Saturday when Arcadia High is the site for the California winter championships.

The meet is run by Rich Gonzalez, who also handles the Arcadia Invitational.

Servite is sending most of its top sprinters to the event, which includes running in the 60-, 150- and 300-meter races. Twins Jace and Jorden Wells have already shown they will be faster in their sophomore seasons. Ditto for Jaelen Hunter.

Another athlete earning rave reviews in the offseason has been Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes in the 200 and 400.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Following Bad Bunny’s landmark album of the year win at the 68th Grammy Awards for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Ricky Martin penned a letter of appreciation to commemorate the moment.

In an opinion piece for the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día published Tuesday, the Boricua hitmaker said Bad Bunny’s accomplishment stirred deep feelings within him.

“Benito, brother, seeing you win three Grammy Awards, one of them for album of the year, with a production entirely in Spanish, touched me deeply,” Martin wrote. “Not only as an artist, but as a Puerto Rican who has walked stages around the world carrying his language, his accent and his history.”

In addition to becoming the first all-Spanish album of the year winner, the “Nuevayol” artist took home the Grammy Awards for música urbana album and global music performance for the track “EoO” on Sunday.

Martin further called Bad Bunny’s achievement a “human” and “cultural” win, lauding him for not bending to the will of anyone who tried to change his sound in any way.

“You won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying true to Puerto Rico,” Martin wrote. “You stayed true to your language, your rhythms and your authentic narrative.”

Martin, who first broke out as a solo musical act in the mid-’90s, became an international superstar off the back of his Spanish-language hits including 1995’s “María,” 1998’s “Vuelve” and “Perdido Sin Ti.”

He reached a new strata of stardom after his track “La Copa de Vida” was used as the official anthem for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. That song charted in over 60 countries and was translated into English. He landed his biggest hit with “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” which was the lead single from his 1999 self-titled English album.

When accepting his album of the year award Sunday night, Bad Bunny addressed the crowd predominantly in Spanish and spoke of the strugglesof the immigrant experience.

“I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” he said in English.

“Puerto Rico, believe me when I say that we are so much bigger than 100 by 35 and there is nothing that exists that we can’t accomplish,” the “Dakiti” artist said in Spanish. “Thank God, thank you to the academy, thank you to all the people who have believed in me throughout my whole career. To all the people who worked on this album. Thank you, Mami, for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico. I love you.”

The 54-year-old singer also showed love to Bad Bunny for using his platform to show solidarity for vulnerable communities.

“What touched me most about seeing you on the Grammys stage was the audience’s silence when you spoke,” Martin wrote. “When you defended the immigrant community, when you called out a system that persecutes and separates, you spoke from a place I know very well where fear and hope coexist, where millions live between languages, borders and deferred dreams.”

Martin concluded his letter by thanking Bad Bunny for reminding him and showing other Puerto Ricans that there is power in being true and authentic to yourself.

“This achievement is for a generation to whom you taught that their identity is non-negotiable and that success is not at odds with authenticity,” Martin wrote.

“This was for Puerto Ricans, for all our Latino brothers and sisters who dream in Spanish, for those crossing seas and borders wearing their cultures like a flag. From the heart, from one Boricua to another, with respect and love, I thank you for reminding us that when one of ours succeeds, we all succeed.”

Emma Finucane and Anna Morris won gold for Great Britain on day three of the 2026 UEC Track Elite European Championships in Turkey.

Olympic and former world champion Finucane, 23, came into the third day of action in Konya in fine form after setting a new world record for the women’s flying 200m time-trial on Monday.

In the final of the women’s sprint, Finucane’s time of 10.608 seconds was 0.045secs faster than team-mate Sophie Capewell to secure her second gold medal of the event.

Finucane said after her win: “Yesterday I wanted to execute my ride perfectly, and I did; I came away with a world record and I couldn’t believe it.

“But it doesn’t finish there, you still have to race races and the girls were really fast, there was lots of fast sprinting and to come away with this medal and with this jersey means so so much to me. “

Finucane’s Welsh compatriot, Olympic bronze medalist Morris, dominated the women’s omnium to win her third European Championship gold medal.

Morris, who said the “European jersey is really special”, finished 13 points in front of Norway’s Anita Stenberg.

Matt Bostock finished fourth in the men’s individual pursuit.

Great Britain have won seven medals in Turkey, including four golds.

During the summer of 1998, a 19-year-old rapper named Eve (formerly known as Eve of Destruction) received a phone call from her producer friend Scott Storch about an opportunity to hop on a record with the Roots.

The hip-hop band from Philadelphia, formed by Black Thought and Questlove, was bubbling at the time and Eve, a known battle rapper in the city, was excited to work together on a song called “You Got Me.”

After tweaking the verse that Black Thought, the band’s lead MC and co-founder, wrote for her, Eve laid down her vocals, rhyming the lyrics “Another lonely night? / It seems like I’m on the side, you only lovin’ your mic.”

“It was really exciting,” Eve said, while lounging on a couch in a Hollywood residence. The rapper, actor and fashion designer has been based in London for the last decade. “I think that was my most professional setting because they obviously were already signed.”

When the song, which is featured on the Roots’ career-defining “Things Fall Apart” album, was released in 1999, it was the first time the world heard Eve’s voice — but no one knew it was her. To her surprise, she wasn’t listed as a contributing artist on the track.

She was also surprised to find out that Jill Scott, a poet and rising neo-soul singer from Philadelphia who wrote and sang the initial hook, was replaced by Grammy-winning singer Erykah Badu. After receiving the wrong address for the shoot, Eve wasn’t featured in the music video either.

In 2000, the Roots and Badu won a Grammy for “You Got Me,” but because Eve wasn’t listed on the track, she didn’t receive an award. By this time, Eve was signed to Ruff Ryders and promoting her debut album “Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady” including her breakout single “Want Ya Want,” so although it hurt her feelings at the time, she moved past it, she said.

“There was no time to kind of go back and think about it,” said Eve, who opened up about the situation in her 2024 memoir “Who’s That Girl.” After years of seeing each other and even performing the song together, she and Questlove spoke about the matter for the first time when she made an appearance on his podcast and apologized to Eve for the oversight. “We were extremely inconsiderate, insular and uncommunicative with each other that things like that always spilled on the sidelines,” the drummer said on the podcast. (Questlove wasn’t available for comment further at the time of publication.)

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Last fall, Eve received another unexpected phone call — this time from the Recording Academy. After hearing Eve talk about the “You Got Me” situation on Ebro Darden’s podcast, the Recording Academy wanted to give her an award for her contributions to the track.

“They were like, ‘Listen, we didn’t even know about this situation at all until we heard the podcast,’” Eve recalled.

After 26 years, Eve was given a golden gramophone Thursday night during the Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective in front of a star-studded audience. For her, the award feels like “validation in a way to that little girl, to little Eve,” she said. “She deserves that.”

She added, “Whatever is yours can’t miss you.”

Ahead of the ceremony, Eve spoke to The Times about coming up in the Philadelphia music scene as a teenager, what the “You Got Me” situation has taught her and what receiving this award means to her now. She also talked about the impact of her second studio album, “Scorpion,” which turns 25 this year, and what it was like to bring her toddler son on tour with her for the first time.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You grew up in West Philly at a time when so many future greats were coming up at once — the Roots, Jill Scott, Bilal and Scott Storch. When you were just a teenager, you were hanging out at studios with some of them and attending jam sessions at Questlove’s house. What did the energy in Philly feel like back then?

It was amazing because music was everywhere. I knew that I wanted it to be my life, so every weekend I was doing something. I should’ve been going to school, but I was going to the studio because I knew that I wanted music to be my life. And in Philly, there was always something going on whether it was a block party or a jam session or an open mic night. I was at everything.

Scott Storch was the person who called you about getting on the Roots’ “You Got Me” record. What was your reaction when you got that call?

When you are young, there’s that no fear thing. I remember being excited, of course, but also like, “Yes! I’m supposed to be here,” not from a cocky place but more affirmative. It was really exciting, but it was also very professional. I think that was my most professional setting because they obviously were already signed. I’d never been around that before, so I remember [being] like “This feels like the business.”

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

You were around 19 or 20 at that time, right?

I must have been around 19 because I would’ve gotten signed and dropped [from Aftermath] when I was 18. [laughs]

At that time you were in between record deals, so it must have felt like a big opportunity.

Absolutely. You know what’s funny, I probably just took it for granted in the sense of like “Oh yeah, this is the start.” They are signed. It’s funny because I think back on the situation and I guess I thought it was gonna pop off from there. That’s why all the events that happened afterward were like “Ugh.”

Take me back to the day that you laid down your verse. Who was in the studio with you?

I’m pretty sure Black Thought and Jill [Scott] were there. Even if not the whole session, I don’t know if I’d come in if she’d finished or whatever, but I’m pretty sure she was there.

How did your verse come together?

I had this whole thing in my head, but Black Thought had a whole verse already. But then I was like, “I’m not gonna just say your verse.” Now, I have a writer sometimes, but back then, especially because I was a battle rapper, it was like I can’t say somebody else’s bars. That’s not real. So he had this whole thing and then I kind of tweaked it to make it feel and sound like me.

I had a lot of audacity back then. I really did. [laughs] Because most people would be like “Yeah, cool.” Also, I was like if I’m going to put my voice on this, I really want to feel like me. I have thought about this [situation] so much now, and I’m sure that also attributed to them being like, “We don’t need to reach out. We don’t need to make sure it’s OK” because the majority of it was written by him. Not that that’s an excuse because there is no excuse.

When was the first time that you realized you didn’t receive credit for the song? If I’m not mistaken, I think Jill Scott found out that her vocals were replaced by Erykah Badu after she heard it on the radio.

I think it was kind of the same thing. It all happened so fast like, “Oh, the song is out.” I probably heard it around the same time and thought “Oh, that’s not Jill. Oh, that’s Erykah Badu.” It was such a weird timeline because I did the song a year or a few months before, and then by the time I heard the song, I was living in Harlem and I was signed to Ruff Ryders.

The song went on to win a Grammy for rap performance by a duo or group in 2000, but because you weren’t credited, you didn’t receive an award. In your book, you talk about how this situation lined up with you being dropped from Aftermath Entertainment and moving back home from L.A. How did you deal with all of this emotionally?

I feel like I had a month that I was just [felt] — I don’t know if I’d call it depressed — deflated. I really felt like damn, this was it and now I’m back home. I was just in L.A. in a condo with a nice bank account. Now I’m back at my mom’s house in my pajamas and I gotta catch the bus. What the hell is happening to my life? [laughs] That was horrible so I was wrestling with my feelings and my sadness, but my mom was great. My mom has always been my rock. She was supportive and she [didn’t] tell me to get over it. She kind of just let me wallow in it, but [she was] positive as well like, “Maybe that wasn’t the time.” It was crazy, but I will say, I needed it. I’m happy that happened because I wouldn’t have the career I have now. Like going back to the Aftermath thing, if I had come out then, I wouldn’t have the career that I have now. I feel like I did need to be humbled because it was definitely the Philly attitude that got me fired, that got me dropped. [laughs] My name at the time was Eve of Destruction, my battle rap name, so it was the time that I sat with my feelings and I was like if I get this chance again who is it that I want to be as an artist? Who do I want to show the world? I didn’t want to take on a title. I was like I’m just going to show them myself. I’m going to show them Eve.

Some fans knew that you didn’t receive credit on this track, but others found out for the first time when you talked about it last year during an appearance on Ebro Darden’s podcast.

It’s crazy how many people are mad about it for me. I had friends who were like, “Girl, so what’s going to happen?” [laughs] But it is a funny thing. Why wasn’t I mad enough? Or was it — this is the over-analyzer [in me] — one of those moments where I just wanted to forget about it. Because, yeah, my feelings were definitely hurt if it was a fake address. Or did we get the address wrong? So maybe I was like, “I’ll just put it on the back burner,” but Ebro definitely did not. And you know what, I’m happy he didn’t because sometimes it takes for a person to be your champion or your cheerleader in certain things and I do appreciate it.

“You Got Me” is one of the Roots’ biggest songs to this day. Was it weird hearing it played everywhere when it first came out?

During that time I did not see them. It was very weird. That song had come out, I was doing my thing, but we ran in different circles hip-hop-wise. I guess we just never crossed paths. I never really saw them. I think they were on tour by then and I was with Ruff Ryders. We didn’t see each other until years later because we have performed that song now three times probably at separate points in my career, which is also weird. [laughs]

That is weird.

It’s weird. I don’t know what’s wrong.

Now, 26 years after “You Got Me” won a Grammy, you are finally receiving your award and honored at the Black Music Collective Recording Academy Honors. What was your reaction when you found out?

It was weird at first because the [academy] called a lot of different people. They called like four different people because they wouldn’t tell anybody why they wanted to talk to me. Finally, I think Swizz [Beatz] was probably the last person they called. Then we got on the phone and I remember I was having martinis in London. It was a FaceTime [call] and I was standing under a lamp. It was not professional on my side and I was trying real hard not to be tipsy. I was like, “This is so cool. Thank you, guys.” [laughs] My friend, who I was with, was like “What did you have to take a call for?” and I was like “Girllll.” So it was a fun night. I came home and told my husband, fell asleep and when I woke up, I completely forgot about it. Then my friend texted me and was like “Do you remember?” and I was like “Oh s—! Yeah!” It’s just such a cool thing and since then it’s been like “Wow.” They said, “We could send you the Grammy, but we’d like to give it to you.” It’s really nice. It’s a really interesting feeling because obviously it’s been so long, something that I thought I was done with, in a way, so it feels good.

What did they tell you exactly?

They were like “Listen, we didn’t even know about this situation at all until we heard the podcast.” It was the podcast that I did with Ebro when they were like “Oh nah.” Even Swizz was like “Sis, we gotta make this happen. That’s not cool.” And I was like “OK, cool.”

Does receiving this award now feel like reconciliation at all? Or maybe validation?

In a way, validation to that little girl, to little me. It sounds a bit cheesy, but she deserves that. It’s a great moment. I’m still wrapping my head around it in a way especially since I’ve been away from music for so long and for this to be happening like this is very cool.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

What have you learned or taken away from this situation?

I think I’m honestly still processing because I was joking, but kind of not, like I want to talk to my therapist about why I let this go. What was it? Why did I think, “Oh nah, it’s cool. We squashed it.” But it’s like no, this is bigger than that. But good s— comes to good people and I know for sure I definitely deserve it. [laughs]

In other exciting news, this March marks the 25th anniversary of your second album, “Scorpion.” What memories rush back to you when you think about that time of your life, living and working in Miami?

Oh my God. There’s so many. It was so fun. I remember the house we rented. I had one Yorkie, then I bought her a friend in Florida. It was silly s— that I remember and then just being in the studio day and night. Then the Marleys were on the other side. It was just a good time. I was fully in it. It was a lot of pressure because it was like “We gotta get this album done now.” It’s when I really think I felt the business of music in the sense of like, “We gotta meet these deadlines. We gotta get this album out,” which was stressful but I was still naive enough, I think, to still be having fun. I was going out. I met Trina. Trina is my girl. Overall, it was a really good time.

Between experimenting with new sounds, crossing genres with artists like Gwen Stefani, and making the theme red, “Scorpion” felt very intentional. Reflecting back, what did that era represent for you personally beyond the music?

I feel very lucky that Ruff Ryders always allowed me to artistically do what I wanted to do. They never said things like “Oh this might not work.” And even sonically, they weren’t the ones who were fighting back, it was more like executives and Interscope, but for me “Scorpion” means red. Red is a scorpion color. We gotta come out stinging, but I also want to show that I’ve grown, that I’ve matured and really show what my ear is. I felt really lucky that they didn’t fight me on it. They let me do exactly what I needed to do. It felt collaborative because that’s how Ruff Ryders worked anyway. There were people in and out of the studio all the time, but it made it good because sometimes a conversation led to a hook or a verse.

Last year you went on tour with Nelly, Ja Rule and Chingy, and you brought along your son. What was it like having him there with you, seeing you on stage?

It was grueling. I ain’t gone lie. It was amazing, but being on tour with a toddler is different. That being said, the reason I said yes to doing the tour is because he’s young enough that I can kind of tote him around, but he’s old enough that he can remember. Seeing him on the side of the stage was like “Oh, my little baby.” It was also fun. Like everybody on that tour had bangers, so even me performing or being backstage and hearing Ja or hearing Nelly or hearing Chingy, it was a good tour. The crowd showed up. It was a really cool tour too because in some places, it was like generations of people together like the kids and the moms, and then there were a lot of young people, and I was like “Oh, I love this.”

What else do you have coming up?

Listening to new music and discovering new artists. I am excited about this 25th anniversary because we are going to do some really fun stuff with it and we’re talking about some re-imaginings with it. Just touch some of the songs that people love and give it a bit of life. What else? I don’t know. I’m just “momming.” That’s my favorite thing right now. He’s getting so big. I cannot believe he’s about to be 4. Watching him grow is nice.

Lindsey Vonn sat out a World Cup super-G race Saturday after crashing and injuring her left knee a day earlier but remains on track for the Milan Cortina Olympics, her coach told the Associated Press.

“No she is not racing today but preparing for Cortina as usual,” Chris Knight, Vonn’s personal head coach, said in a text message to the AP.

Vonn then posted on Instagram, “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today,” adding, “Thank you for all of the love and support I have received. Means the world to me.

“Doing my best right now….,” Vonn concluded with praying hands and fingers-crossed emojis.

Vonn crashed in a downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing down to the bottom of the course, she was airlifted away for medical attention.

It still wasn’t clear what her injury was.

“I crashed today in the downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee. I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams,” Vonn wrote on Instagram on Friday.

Vonn, a 41-year-old American, is expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Winter Games, which open next Friday. Her first race comes two days later in the women’s downhill.

Saturday’s super-G was slated to be her final race before the Games.