A sibling of American Olympic standout Alysa Liu is drawing attention in California high school girls’ sports as a transgender athlete competing across multiple events, according to reports.
Jaylin Liu, who Reduxx reported was previously named Joshua before transitioning and identifying as female, has become the focus of growing debate around eligibility in girls’ athletics.
Liu competes in girls’ track and field, varsity basketball and ultimate frisbee, representing Albany High School and El Cerrito High School in California, the report said.
The strongest results have reportedly come on the track, where Liu has claimed first place in every girls’ 200-meter and 400-meter race entered by Albany High School this year.
In May, Jaylin Liu also finished first at the Tri-County Athletic League Finals, adding to a string of top performances.
According to the report, Liu earned eight separate first-place finishes at 2025 seasonal meets and won gold in the 200-meter race at the 2025 Tri-County Athletic League Frosh-Soph Championship.
Reduxx cited praise for Liu’s “extremely dominant performance on the field,” reflecting the level of success reported during the season.
The participation of Jaylin Liu in girls’ sports has also prompted criticism from women’s sports advocacy groups, which have raised objections over transgender athletes competing in female categories.
“The Liu family represents two opposing forces: the pinnacle of excellence in female sports and, at the same time, a profound threat to the integrity of those sports,” Marshi Smith of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports said.
“Alysa’s achievements are the result of years of dedication and hard work beginning in childhood. By contrast, her brother’s recent personal ambitions threaten to undermine the same developmental pathways that so many girls depend on to blaze their own trails to greatness.”
A representative from HeCheated, “a centralized archive documenting the impact and magnitude of male participation in female-only sports categories and events,” said Jaylinn’s participation in female sports puts Alysa in a difficult spot.
“Rules allowing boys into girls’ sports often put female athletes who may have male family members, like Alysa, in an impossible position where their loyalties are torn and they are forced to choose between supporting female athletes and fairness in athletics or a beloved family member who they love,” the spokesperson said.
“Firm rules protecting the female category puts the responsibility of saying no to these boys on athletic officials rather than young women and girls.”
Jaylin watched his sister, Alysa, at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with their father Arthur Liu.
Alysa, who currently attends UCLA, won two gold medals with two first-place finishes in the women’s individual singles and the team event.
Jaylin’s transition is revealed at a time when the Trump administration has targeted transgender athletes for their participation in girls’ sports. Alysa has softly criticized the administration at times.
“I definitely do care what our country is doing,” she said in an interview with KARE 11. “I think it is really important also to notice the faults in our own government.”
But certain female professional athletes like WNBA player Sophie Cunningham have embraced restrictions to “protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
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