Transgender athlete AB Hernandez — California’s most polarizing high school track star — was forced to share the 3rd place podium in Saturday’s prestigious state championships after being outshone by cisgender rivals.
The 17-year-old, who was born male, was beaten several times amid fierce competition from biological women during the California Interscholastic Federation’s state final at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
The Jurupa Valley High School senior placed third in the long jump behind Eliie McCuskie-Hay and Gianna Gonzalez, who took joint first place.
During the medal ceremony, Hernandez shared the third-place podium alongside St. Mary’s Berkeley jumper Corinne Jones.
However, Hernandez did manage to come in first in the high jump and secured joint first place in the triple jump.
The CIF was forced to introduce special rules last year after the transgender athlete regularly thrashed the competition — spurring public backlash from critics demanding Hernandez be banned from competing against women due to physical advantages.
Under the amended regulations, the biological female who finished in the spot immediately below Hernandez would be awarded the same placing in an effort to ensure transgender athletes don’t displace cisgender girls in the finals.
In some of those earlier showdowns, authorities gave out two gold medals – one to Hernandez and another to the athlete who placed closest.
Some of Hernandez’s rivals previously engaged in silent protests by refusing to stand on the podium next to the athlete, while other girls kept their distance during the competitions.
Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda, 44, was spotted sitting in the bleachers and cheering on Saturday.
The transgender athlete has become one of the most controversial figures in high school sports, drawing national attention and fierce criticism from parents, competitors, and women’s sports advocates who argue that biological males should not compete in girls’ divisions.
During Saturday’s competition, protesters wore shirts that said “Save Girl’s Sports,” while others carried signs reading, “No boys. No bias. Just fairness.”
At one point, protesters clashed with pro-LGBTQ groups who were holding a press conference for Hernandez outside the high school.
Clovis police officers arrived to oversee the heated verbal dispute, which eventually dissipated without physical violence or direct police intervention, Outkick reported.
The weekend’s competition also was the backdrop to gubernatorial candidates making their case to voters ahead of the June 2 primary.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton held a press conference outside the stadium, criticizing CIF for allowing transgender athletes to compete.
Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Tom Steyer posted a video with Hernandez ahead of Saturday’s championship, applauding the athlete for competing and reaffirming his commitment to trans athletes. he applauded the athlete
“I’m going to hope like heck, that you don’t just make state but you do really well there,” Steyer said.
