West Virginia track state champion makes political statement during award ceremony
During the West Virginia State Track Meet over the weekend, Hadley Horne, a senior from Grafton High School, became a repeat West Virginia state champion in the Class AA girls 300 meter hurdles, with a time of 45.41, more than a second faster than second place and the third fastest time across all three classifications.
During her award ceremony, Horne chose to wear a shirt that said 'Men don't belong in women's sports.' A photo of the ceremony is going viral on social media, with thousands of people voicing their opinions on the Save Women's Sports Act, the West Virginia law that says student athletes must compete based on the sex they were assigned at birth. The law was deemed unconstitutional by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals last year and is not currently enforceable.
North central West Virginia athletes win 26 events at State Track Meet
Horne's shirt was likely in response to transgender athlete Becky Pepper-Jackson competing in the girls AAA discus and shot put at the championship meet. Pepper-Jackson, who was assigned male at birth and competed as a freshman for Bridgeport High School, finished 3rd place in the girls discus throw and 8th place in the girls shot put, scoring a total of seven points for Bridgeport's girls team.
The case of Becky Pepper-Jackson (B.P.J.) vs the West Virginia Board of Education regarding West Virginia's Save Women's Sports Act has been ongoing since 2021.
Gov. Morrisey, who has been trying to get the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, said on Saturday that he is 'urging officials to keep separate scores so that the true winners can be awarded once we win in court,' calling Pepper-Jackson competing on the girls' side 'wrong and unfair.'
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