Transgender track athlete wins gold in California state championships despite Trump threat
Overcoming intense pressure to quit from President Trump, dozens of local protesters and other prominent critics of transgender athletes in girls' sports, 16-year-old AB Hernandez bounded past many of her peers to win multiple gold medals at California's high school track and field championships Saturday.
The transgender junior from Jurupa Valley High School — who competed despite a directive from Trump that she be barred from doing so — won state titles in the girls' triple jump and the girl's high jump and took second place in the girls' long jump.
Hernandez's success at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships in Clovis came amid high heat — with temperatures above 100 degrees for much of the day — and under an intense spotlight.
Earlier in the week, Trump had said on social media that he was "ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow" Hernandez to compete, wrongly alleging she had won "everything" in a prior meet and calling her "practically unbeatable." Protesters gathered outside the meet both Friday and Saturday to denounce her inclusion and the LGBTQ+-friendly state laws allowing it.
Despite all that, Hernandez appeared calm and focused as she competed. When her name was announced for the long jump, she waved to the crowd. When she was announced for the high jump, she smiled.
Hernandez beat out all other competitors in the triple jump, though the runner-up was also awarded 1st place under new rules established by the California Interscholastic Federation after Trump issued his threats.
Hernandez tied with two other girls in the high jump, with the three of them all clearing the same height and sharing the gold.
Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, heaped praise on her after the events in a statement provided to The Times, saying, "As your mother, I cannot fully express how PROUD I am of you."
"Watching you rise above months of being targeted, misunderstood, and judged not by peers, but by adults who should’ve known better, has left me in awe of your strength," her mother said. "Despite it all, you stayed focused. You kept training, you kept showing up, and now you’re bringing THE GOLD HOME!!!
more
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/article/transgender-track-athlete-wins-gold-052902424.html