California track-and-field championships begin following controversy over trans athlete
CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) — A transgender teen is competing in the California high school track-and-field finals on Saturday, one day after advancing in the competition as a protest plane circled about the meet that has drawn national attention, including criticism from President Donald Trump.
AB Hernandez — a trans student who on Friday finished as the top qualifier in the girls high jump, long jump and triple jump — is in the finals Saturday, competing under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.
The California Interscholastic Federation announced the policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez's success. Under the policy, the federation will let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified.
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The two-day championship kicked off Friday in the sweltering heat at high school near Fresno, with more hot temperatures on tap for Saturday's finals. The atmosphere has been relatively quiet despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing with girls.
A man used a megaphone to shout 'No boys in girls' sports' as Hernandez and her group prepared for the long jump final. Other critics in the stands wore 'Save Girls' Sports' T-shirts. The day before an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the qualifying events, carrying a banner that read: 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!'
Separately, one person was arrested outside the competition on Friday after getting in a confrontation with another protester that turned physical, according to the Clovis Police Department.
In the long jump final, Hernandez faulted on her first attempt but spanned just over 20 feet (6.10 meters) on her second to take the lead. The field had four more tries to go.
On Friday, she led in the long jump qualifier with a mark close to 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. She also advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) with ease and 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.
California at center of national debate
The federation's rule change reflects efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports.
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'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 to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then.
The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the 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 lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition.
California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
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The federation said the rule opens 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 sheer number of competitors. 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).
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The boys 100-meter dash heats also were a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about 0.2 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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