At a recent track and field championship in California, transgender athlete AB Hernandez tied for first place alongside female competitors in three events, each time winning by a considerable margin.
Hernandez, from Jurupa Valley High School, took first in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division 3 Southern Section finals.
During the awards ceremony, the announcer revealed that each event would have two co-winners, including Hernandez. This decision stems from new regulations put in place last year.
Interestingly, Hernandez didn’t attend the first medal presentation for the long jump, where Moorpark High’s Gianna Gonzalez stood on the podium, even though she finished over a foot behind Hernandez. It seemed that Hernandez was busy warming up for her next event.
In the high jump, Hernandez shared the podium with Gwyneth Mleika from Oak Park High School, even though she won the event by two inches. She also triumphed in the triple jump, outstripping Shadow Hills’ Maria Strange by nearly two feet, as Strange wasn’t present.
Once again crowned Southern Section champion, Hernandez, along with the other winners, is set to progress to the CIF qualifier next Saturday, where she will face some of the state’s top female jumpers in hopes of reaching the state finals. Those finals are slated for May 29 in Clovis, California.
Last year, CIF launched a pilot program for the state finals allowing female athletes next to trans athletes in qualifying events to earn a slot higher up. This means that the girls share the podium with Hernandez, the champion. Under this plan, female athletes short of qualifying due to competing against transgender athletes are guaranteed to vie for titles as well.
Some parents of female athletes present at the competition reported that their coaches indicated this pilot program will remain a part of the state postseason, starting with the sectional finals.
Fox News Digital reached out to CIF for their input on this situation.
The implementation of this pilot program followed Hernandez’s previous successes at the state finals, drawing criticism from President Donald Trump, who expressed his discontent with California’s regulations on his Truth Social account before the race.
In his posts, Trump stated, “California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newsom, continues to illegally allow ‘men to participate in women’s sports.’” He described Hernandez’s achievements as “unfair and degrading” to women and girls, emphasizing the perceived discrepancy in competition.
In response to ongoing concerns, the Trump administration’s Justice Department filed a Title IX lawsuit against California’s education system last July after Hernandez clinched two state titles and secured second in another. Later in Fall, Hernandez participated with Jurupa Valley’s girls volleyball team, which faced several losses. Two other players from that team proceeded to file a Title IX lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District due to sharing locker room facilities with a transgender player.
The discussion around Jurupa Valley’s track and field season resurfaced last Saturday when Save Girls Sports activists held a rally at the sectional heats.
Officials from Newsom’s office shared a statement addressing the rally days prior, affirming that discussions about this issue should be grounded in fairness and dignity.
“California is among 22 states with laws ensuring that students can partake in single-sex sports according to their gender identity, a law instituted in 2013,” the statement highlighted.
