Madrid, Spain
CNN
 — 

It became one of the defining images of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Despite more than six months passing since US gymnasts Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade atop the podium, the floor gold medalist says the moment still gives her “goosebumps.”

As well as the heart-warming display of sportsmanship earning Biles and Chiles plaudits around the world, it was also a historic moment as the trio became the first all-Black Olympics gymnastics podium.

“It was a really important moment on the podium,” Andrade told CNN Sports at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards, where the Brazilian was named Comeback of the Year winner.

“Three female Black athletes, representing their nations, and showing that we deserve to be there. Knowing that it’s possible to make it happen and it was beautiful. It’s a moment that gives me goosebumps every time I remember it.”

Perhaps there is no better word that sums Andrade up than “comeback.”

The 25-year-old had considered quitting gymnastics after suffering three ACL tears – in 2015, 2017 and 2019 – one of the most brutal injuries for any athlete to overcome.

There is not only the painful and monotonous physical rehabilitation required after each major surgery, but also the grueling mental drain of facing one of the most arduous recovery processes in all of sports three times.

Not to mention the lingering fear that it could happen again with a slightly miscued landing or take off. Those setbacks – each of which could have been career-ending – made Andrade’s win over Biles in the floor final in Paris all the more remarkable.

So, what was it that gave Andrade the motivation to keep battling back?

“I think it has a lot do with the strength of my family and my team,” she said. “Every day in the gym showing me that regardless of my choice, if I wanted to carry on or not, they would be there to support me.

“I was sure that it was worth coming back, every time, and I returned alongside them and the results followed, so I’m very proud.”

Andrade, Brazil’s most decorated Olympian of all time with two golds, three silvers and a bronze, said being awarded the Comeback of the Year award “means a lot.”

“It’s recognition of my work, that of my team and of my story as an athlete, and so I feel very honored.”

The nail-biting battle in Paris – Andrade and Biles were separated by just 0.033 points – understandably has fans eager to see the two gymnastics greats go head-to-head at the Olympics again at Los Angeles 2028.

Biles remains unsure whether she will still be competing then, telling French newspaper L’Equipe this week that “2028 seems so far away.”

She also noted concerns over her body’s ability to keep pushing at the top level, revealing that her body “literally collapsed” after competing at Paris last year.

Andrade, however, said she wants to be there.

“Only God knows the future. Many things still need to happen,” she told CNN. “There’s qualifying, but there’s still a desire. It’s a dream of mine, so we’ll battle on, but let’s do it slowly.”

CNN
 — 

A new NFL season is fast approaching and, after a hectic free agency period, the next crop of college talent will find where they will be playing at this year’s draft.

The 2025 edition holds plenty of intrigue, with some headline quarterbacks predicted to go near the top of the first round and plenty of other high-end prospects hoping to find a NFL home.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s NFL draft.

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft will be held on Thursday, April 24, with the second and third rounds taking place on Friday and the remaining four rounds happening on Saturday.

Like years prior, the draft is set to be a huge event with fans from all across the US traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to watch names being read out by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and others, with the event being held outside the famous Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.

Fans at home can watch all the picks on NFL Network and ESPN, with the first pick of the first round being made at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. Friday’s action begins at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday kicks off at noon ET.

CNN Sports is also offering live digital coverage of the event beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Although there is a consensus No. 1 overall pick in many people’s eyes, lots of questions still remain about the other selections in the first round.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward is widely expected to be drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the first pick as the clear cut best quarterback in the class and with the franchise in dire need of a difference-maker at the position.

While he still has room to grow, NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah says that Ward could have a “very high ceiling” if he can be “reined in” from his gunslinging nature.

Outside of Ward, draft analysts have no consensus on who will go where at the top of the first round.

The second and third picks – held by the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants respectively – are predicted by many to be filled by the two highest-rated players in the entire draft: Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter.

Hunter, who could become the first full-time two-way player in NFL history having excelled at both wide receiver and cornerback with the Colorado Buffaloes, is coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season.

Under head coach Deion Sanders, Hunter blossomed into a superstar with 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense as well as 15 passes defended, four interceptions and a game-winning forced fumble on defense.

There are still question marks over whether Hunter’s two-way game will translate to the NFL or whether his coaches will prefer to have him specialize on one side of the ball, but the 21-year-old has shown he possesses all the skills to be a game-changer wherever he is deployed. In fact, Browns general manager Andrew Berry called Hunter a “unicorn” player in a pre-draft press conference.

Carter is also expected to be picked near the top of the draft having had a stellar 2024 season with Penn State; the pass rusher led the FBS with 23.5 tackles for loss and ranked seventh with 12 sacks as he went on to be named a First-Team AP All-American.

At one point, the 21-year-old was slated to go first overall, but Ward’s rise has dropped Carter down mock drafts. Carter didn’t workout during the pre-draft process due to a shoulder injury, but he is widely expected to be an impactful defensive lineman from the get-go.

The other high-profile name who will be selected near the top of the first round is running back Ashton Jeanty after a historic season at Boise State.

Jeanty’s skillset of vision, speed, ability to break tackles and powerful blocking makes him the perfect all-round running back. In his final season at Boise State, he led the NCAA with 2,601 rushing yards – finishing just 28 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record set in 1988 – and scored 29 rushing touchdowns as he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Jeanty to LaDainian Tomlinson during the draft process, high praise with the former San Diego Charger’s standing as an all-time NFL great, MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Despite being seen as a prospective generational running back talent, Jeanty will be selected lower than Hunter and Carter due to the devaluation of the position, but could have a greater impact in the league.

Outside of those four, there are plenty of other college stars to keep an eye on.

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is a well-rounded prospect who will be picked near the top of the first round.

Graham was awarded the Outland Trophy – given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in college – last year having blossomed into a player with all the aspects needed to succeed in the NFL. He possesses the speed to evade blocks, the strength to overpower offensive linemen and the motor to outlast his opponents.

A polarizing prospect in the draft process has been quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

While he has plenty of attributes necessary for NFL success – accuracy and poise in the pocket – experts say Sanders has several things to improve upon for him to be a top-level star.

His name-brand alone means he’s had plenty of attention and, with plenty of quarterback-needy teams near the top of the first round, Sanders will still likely go inside the top 10 picks.

Another big name to keep an eye on near the top of the first round is Penn State tight end Tyler Warren.

Standing at six-foot-five, Warren possesses the size to dominate defenders trying to cover him while also having the quickness to break away into space.

He plays with “best player on the field energy,” according to Zierlein, who also predicts that Warren could “become one of the best tight ends in the league.”

Warren was given the John Mackey Award last season for the best TE in the country and left Penn State having set school records for a tight end in almost all categories with 153 receptions, 1,839 receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.

1. Tennessee Titans

2. Cleveland Browns

3. New York Giants

4. New England Patriots

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

6. Las Vegas Raiders

7. New York Jets

8. Carolina Panthers

9. New Orleans Saints

10. Chicago Bears

11. San Francisco 49ers

12. Dallas Cowboys

13. Miami Dolphins

14. Indianapolis Colts

15. Atlanta Falcons

16. Arizona Cardinals

17. Cincinnati Bengals

18. Seattle Seahawks

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Denver Broncos

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

22. Los Angeles Chargers

23. Green Bay Packers

24. Minnesota Vikings

25. Houston Texans

26. Los Angeles Rams

27. Baltimore Ravens

28. Detroit Lions

29. Washington Commanders

30. Buffalo Bills

31. Kansas City Chiefs

32. Philadelphia Eagles

CNN
 — 

British No. 1 Jack Draper says Jannik Sinner doesn’t deserve the “hate he gets” as the Italian nears a return from a doping suspension.

Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban having twice tested positive for banned substance Clostebol, an anabolic steroid, in March last year.

The three-time grand slam champion previously escaped a ban when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that he wasn’t at fault for the positive tests, accepting that the contamination was caused by a physio applying an over-the-counter spray.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) subsequently lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), leading to Sinner accepting a suspension from February 9 to May 4.

Draper is a long-time friend of the 2025 Australian Open champion with the pair having met on the junior tour. The world No. 6 recently said he believes it was a simple mistake that led to Sinner testing positive.

“I think ­Jannik is a really, really genuine, nice person. And on top of that, he’s obviously an unbelievable player,” Draper told BBC Sport and The Guardian in a joint interview at this year’s Madrid Open.

“In this situa­tion, I’m sure that he would have ­absolutely zero idea of anything. That’s just the way life goes – sometimes, there’s mistakes.”

Sinner will be eligible to play at the Italian Open next month, with the tournament starting on May 7, three days after his ban ends.

But his return to the locker room might be met with a mixed reaction, with not everyone satisfied with the way Sinner’s case was handled.

The 23-year-old’s ban, for example, meant he didn’t miss a single grand slam event and raised concerns in the sport.

Notably, Novak Djokovic said that the whole case was “not a good image for our sport” and suggested that many players believe there “is favoritism happening” in regards to anti-doping.

Meanwhile, British player Liam Broady told BBC Sport that it felt like the suspension was intended to “impact Jannik’s career as little as possible.”

Serena Williams also said she would have been banned for “20 years” and “gotten grand slams taken away” if the same thing had happened to her. She did, though, describe Sinner as a “fantastic personality” and “great for the sport.”

An ITIA spokesperson previously told CNN Sports that it approaches each case in the same way, “irrespective of a player’s ranking or status.”

In a February statement, Sinner said that he has “always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love.”

And, for Draper, his relationship with Sinner has not been changed by the controversy which has seemingly divided the tennis world.

“In terms of actually how I feel about him as a person, I think it’s important for people to know and recognize that the guy’s very, very kind-hearted and a good human being,” Draper added. “So he doesn’t deserve any of the hate that he gets.”

Sinner won this year’s Australian Open and will be looking to win his first French Open title as the clay court season gets underway.

Draper and Sinner have practiced together in recent weeks, with the childhood friends meeting up in Monte Carlo as the Italian prepares for his return to the court.

The British star told BBC Sport and The Guardian that he didn’t speak much about the doping ban with Sinner, instead opting to focus on the tennis.

“He’s obviously had a bit of time off, but he’s playing at an incredible level still,” Draper said.

“I’m looking forward to having him back on the tour because I think his presence has been missed. It was great to be with him for a few days and get some good sparring.”