Athletics: Transgender stands out and generates protests

This is yet another case that has reignited the controversy over the participation of transgender athletes in female athletics events. A 16-year-old transgender athlete, AB Hernández, qualified for the finals of three disciplines in the California school championships (in the USA), but faced several protests against her participation in the events. The issue has now reached national attention and even earned a comment from the President of the USA, Donald Trump.

AB Hernández was the top qualifier for Saturday's finals in the women's long jump, triple jump and high jump at the California State Track and Field Championships, which are taking place on the outskirts of Fresno, about 300 kilometers southeast of San Francisco. In the triple jump, the athlete managed to reach the mark of 12.5 meters , 25 centimeters more than the athlete who qualified for the final in second place.

This Saturday, he won two gold medals, in the high jump and triple jump finals; and a silver medal, in the long jump final.

????????‍♀️‍➡️ Trans Teen AB Hernandez Sparks Fury at California Championships!Will Trump's threats halt her track dominance?CLOVIS –• Transgender teen AB Hernandez leads girls' jump events.• Trump threatens California's funding over her participation.

• Protests erupt, plane flies… pic.twitter.com/daCZoPHDVU

— Snap Media (@SnapMediaLive) May 31, 2025

Hernández's participation has sparked protests from other athletes, their families and coaches, according to the ABC newspaper. The young woman was even insulted during the qualifying rounds for the show jumping event. Around a dozen protesters gathered outside the stadium where the qualifying rounds are taking place on Friday, wearing t-shirts and holding up signs against Hernández's participation in the women's events. "Save women's sports," it read.

The protest was so great that, also this Friday, a small plane flew over the stadium with the aim of displaying a banner with the inscription “No boys in women's sports”, writes the newspaper The Telegraph .

The controversy erupted last Wednesday when US President Donald Trump alluded to the Hernández case, threatening to withdraw federal funds from California following a campaign promise he had (when he said he would remove “men” from women’s sports).

“ As a woman, this transitioning person is virtually unbeatable . THIS IS NOT FAIR AND IS TOTALLY HUMILIATING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Please be advised that large-scale Federal Funding will be withheld, perhaps permanently, if the Executive Order on this matter is not followed… This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!” the US president condemned.

Trump's comment was followed by an announcement from the US Department of Justice warning that an investigation was underway to determine whether California had violated a law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs.

AB Hernandez: The 16-year-old transgender girl at heart of sports row in California https://t.co/xWUP7v6UNF pic.twitter.com/oF9KH7fUcg

— USA NEWS ??????????????? (@wtxnewsusa) May 31, 2025

The athlete's participation in the state championships has sparked an ideological clash in recent days. While parents of other athletes, coaches and even the mayor of Clovis (a city near Fresno where the competitions are held) have contested Hernández's inclusion in the competitions, transgender rights groups have come out in defense of the decision by the California Interscholastic Federation (the body that regulates sports at the state level).

Highly pressured by the controversy, this entity decided, on Wednesday, and specifically in the finals in which Hernández participated, that any athlete who failed to reach the podium (and who finished behind the transgender athlete) could receive a medal.

News updated at 12:30 pm, with the information that the athlete won two gold medals and one silver medal.