CLOVIS, Calif. – An additional medal will be awarded at California’s high school track-and-field state finals on Saturday if a transgender athlete finishes in the top three, marking a unique rule change in high school sports governance. This is believed to be the first of its kind nationally.
The California Interscholastic Federation introduced this new policy following the impressive performance of AB Hernandez, a transgender high school junior who participates in the girls’ high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Hernandez excelled in all three events during the preliminaries on Friday, prompting the CIF to announce that an extra student would be allowed to compete and potentially win a medal in the events where Hernandez excelled.
The state’s two-day championship began amidst scorching temperatures at a high school in the vicinity of Fresno. Despite criticism from various quarters, including parents, conservative groups, and even President Donald Trump, urging Hernandez to be prevented from competing against girls in the run-up to the event, the atmosphere remained relatively calm on Friday.
There was some pushback Friday. A group of fewer than 10 people gathered outside the stadium ahead of the meet to protest Hernandez’s participation. Some of them wore “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirts. At one point as Hernandez was attempting a high jump, someone in the stands yelled an insult. An aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the events, carrying a banner that read, “No Boys in Girls’ Sports!”
The rest of the night ran smoothly for Hernandez, who finished the triple jump with a mark close to 41 feet (13 meters), nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) ahead of her closest competitor, San Francisco Bay Area junior Kira Gant Hatcher.
Hernandez also led in the long jump with a mark close to 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. She advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) with ease.
She did not address the press.
California at center of national debate
The CIF rule change reflects efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls’ participation in youth sports.
“The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law,” the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats.
The federation announced the rule change after Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The CIF said it decided on the change before then.
The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the state federation and the district that includes Hernandez’s high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law by allowing trans girls to compete in girls sports.
Some California Republicans also weighed in, with several state lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition and a Republican gubernatorial candidate planning to attend Saturday’s finals.
California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
The federation said the rule would open the field to more “biological female” athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for “biological female” athletes but not for other trans athletes.
The federation did not specify how they define “biological female” or how they would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month that she couldn’t worry about critics.
“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,” she said.
Another student breaks a record
California’s state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes are up against to qualify. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet (6.7 meters).
The boys 100-meter dash heats were also a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about .2 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. Jefferson’s time won’t count as a record unless he can replicate his results in the final.
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Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna
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