Trans Athlete SWEEPS GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Athletes starting a sprint from starting blocks on a blue track

A biological male athlete just swept the girls’ track and field podium at a California state championship — and the governing body’s last-minute policy patch did little to hide how badly the system failed the girls who trained their whole lives for that moment.

Story Highlights

AB Hernandez, a biological male competing as a transgender girl, won gold in the girls’ high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state track and field championships in Clovis.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rushed out a last-minute rule change just days before the championship, allowing additional female athletes to share the podium — a band-aid critics say exposes the fundamental unfairness of the policy itself.
Female athlete Katie McGuinness placed second in the long jump behind Hernandez and spoke out publicly about losing a first-place title to a biological male competitor.
Protesters gathered outside the event, and state and local officials called on the CIF to change its rules before the competition took place.

Biological Male Wins Girls’ State Titles in Three Jumping Events

AB Hernandez, a junior from Jurupa Valley and a biological male competing as a transgender girl, took home gold medals in the girls’ high jump and triple jump at the CIF state track and field championships held in Clovis, California. Hernandez also competed in the long jump, finishing in a position that drew intense scrutiny from parents, athletes, and officials across the state. The victories immediately ignited a national conversation about fairness in women’s sports at the high school level.

A BOY BEATS THE GIRLS AGAIN…

Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 Track meet in Yorba Linda featured a biological male, AB Hernandez, a senior from Jurupa Valley High School, finishing 1st against actual girls in 3 different events.

TOTALLY FAIR ACCORDING TO LIBERALS 🙄…

— David Burke 🇺🇸 (@ConservativeTht) May 10, 2026

Female athlete Katie McGuinness placed second in the long jump behind Hernandez and went on television to describe what it felt like to lose a first-place finish to a biological male competitor. McGuinness’s willingness to speak out publicly put a human face on what statistics and policy debates often obscure — real girls, with real aspirations, being pushed off the top of the podium by someone with an undeniable biological advantage.

CIF’s Last-Minute Rule Change Exposes the Real Problem

Days before the state championships, the California Interscholastic Federation announced an emergency policy adjustment described by ESPN as potentially “the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.” The new rule allowed additional female athletes to compete and share podium recognition in events where Hernandez qualified, creating co-winners rather than displacing girls entirely. Critics immediately noted that the scramble to patch the policy just before competition revealed how broken the underlying rules already were.

The CIF had previously stated in a 2023 policy that transgender athletes competing in girls’ events would not displace female athletes, and that girls would retain their rightful placements and medals. That commitment was not honored at earlier competitions. At the April 2024 Arcadia Invitational, female athletes who legitimately won their events were listed behind Hernandez in official results, denied top recognition while Hernandez received exclusive first-place honors. The state championship’s last-minute fix looked less like progress and more like damage control ahead of a national spotlight.

Protesters, Parents, and Officials Push Back

Protesters gathered outside the CIF championship venue in Clovis as the event got underway, with demonstrators demanding fair competition protections for female athletes. Several local and state officials had already called on the CIF to revise its policies before the meet began. The protests reflected a growing frustration among parents and athletes who feel California’s leadership consistently prioritizes ideology over the basic fairness that women’s sports categories were specifically designed to protect.

The controversy surrounding Hernandez’s participation also coincided with a jarring contrast involving another California athlete. Clara Adams lost her state track title after a fire extinguisher celebration was deemed a rules violation — penalized swiftly and decisively — while Hernandez competed and claimed gold under policies that many argue violate the foundational purpose of girls’ athletic divisions. The juxtaposition was not lost on parents and athletes watching from the stands or following the story nationwide.

What This Means for Girls’ Sports Across the Country

California accounts for a disproportionate share of transgender athlete controversies in high school sports nationally, driven by its permissive eligibility policies. Biomechanical research consistently shows that male puberty advantages in jumping and throwing events persist even after hormone therapy, making these categories particularly impactful for biological female competitors. The CIF’s own scrambled response — announcing a policy workaround days before the biggest meet of the year — signals that even California’s sports administrators recognize the policy is untenable, even if they won’t say so directly.

For the girls who spent years training for a state championship podium, no last-minute co-winner rule erases the reality of what happened in Clovis. The federal government under President Trump has moved to protect female athletes at the national level, but California continues to resist, leaving high school girls in the state to fight for fairness one meet at a time. Until California aligns its policies with biological reality, stories like Katie McGuinness’s will keep repeating — and more girls will keep losing titles they rightfully earned.