Transgender girl tops qualifying scores again at California track and field state meet
A transgender high school athlete led the field again Friday, May 29, in the qualifying round of the California track and field state championship at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis.This competition is drawing renewed debate from some coaches and parents about how transgender athletes should be placed in girls competitions.Transgender athlete AB Hernandez, a varsity and senior jumper, took a majority of the top scores in Clovis in every category she competed in and advanced to finals on Saturday, May 30.The results raised concerns among some who believe Hernandez has a biological advantage. Mark Hicks, a track coach, said he believes transgender athletes should be allowed to compete, but that final placements should be considered with and without their scores.“Even though you have hormones and everything that are changed, you still have a male and a female body and the bone structure and muscle structure is still a male structure,” Hicks said.The qualifying round included some of the best track and field athletes in the state and featured a variety of events, including jumps, vaults and running.Sarah Collins, a track mom, is a former top runner who once broke her own school’s records.“I used to break ribbons and it’s a very exciting feeling,” Collins said.Collins said competing against a transgender woman would have changed her experience.“I would have never broke a record, I would have never saw first place,” she said.The championship round of the competition will continue Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
