CLOVIS, Calif. — A transgender athlete emerged victorious on Saturday at the California high school track and field championship, claiming gold in the girls’ high jump and triple jump events at a competition that has sparked debate and captured national interest.
AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.
Hernandez completed the high jump with a height of 5 feet, 7 inches, without any missed attempts. Co-champions Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also reached the same height but each had a failed attempt. The three athletes proudly shared the first-place position, smiling as they ascended the podium together.
Hernandez concluded the evening with a win in the triple jump, sharing the lead with Kira Gant Hatcher, who was just slightly behind by more than half a meter. Earlier in the day, Hernandez secured second place in the long jump.
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. This year’s winner, Loren Webster, topped 21 feet, with Hernandez trailing by a few inches.
The California Interscholastic Federation announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez’s success heading into the championships. Under the policy, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified.
The two-day championship kicked off Friday in sweltering heat at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures reached the triple digits during Saturday’s finals.
The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics – including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump – calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Some critics wore pink bracelets and T-shirts that read, “Save Girls’ Sports.”
During Friday’s qualifying events, an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour with a banner: “No Boys in Girls’ Sports!” Two groups that oppose transgender athletes participating in women’s sports – the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and Women Are Real – took credit for flying the banner.
California at center of national debate
The federation’s rule change reflected efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls’ participation in youth sports.
“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 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.
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President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports.
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.
California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
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 it defines “biological female” or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
Sophia Lorey, outreach director with California Family Council, was among those at the stadium Saturday. She said the federation’s policy is not a fix for the issue and only ends up causing more confusion.
“At the end of the day,” Lorey said, “it shows the girls that we know this is wrong and we’re still letting it happen to you.”
Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main this month that she cannot 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.
Other students break records
California’s 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.
The boys 100-meter heats also were a highlight, with junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finishing in 10.01 seconds Friday, 0.19 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. But he fell just shy of making it count as a meet record with a final time of 10.27 seconds in Saturday’s final.
Athletes set new meet records in several events, including boys and girls relay races, hurdle competitions and the boys pole vault.
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