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The transgender athlete won the competition Saturday at the California High School Athletics Championships, taking home money in girls’ high jumps and winning triple jumps in a competition that sparked controversy and attracted national attention.
Ab Hernandez competed under new rules changes that could be the first nationally by the high school sports governing body. The California governing body changed the rules before the tournament, allowing more girls to compete and win medals at events where Hernandez competed.
Hernandez finished the high jump with the 5-foot, 7-inch (1.7 meters) mark, but no attempt was made to fail. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle cleared their height after recording unsuccessful attempts. The three shared their first place victory and smiled as they stepped onto the podium.
Hernandez concluded the night with a first-place finish in a triple jump, sharing a top spot with Kiragant Hatcher, who ran slightly in the half-meter. Early in the afternoon, Hernandez finished second in the long jump.
Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis Woodhall set state championship records in the 1993 and 2017 long jumps respectively, both of which exceeded 22 feet (6.7 meters). This year’s winner, Lauren Webster, went over 21 feet (6.40 meters), with Hernandez chasing several inches.
The California Interscholastic Federation announced a new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez’s success as he heads into the championship. Under this policy, the federation allowed additional students to compete and win medals at events that Hernandez qualify.
The two-day championship began on Friday with a hot fever at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures tripled in the final on Saturday.
The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump, asking for banning Hernandez from competing. Some critics wore a pink bracelet and a t-shirt that read “Save Girls’ Sports.”
During Friday’s qualifying event, aircraft were surrounded over the stadium for over an hour, and transgender athletes taking part in women’s sports (two groups opposed to the authenticity of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and Women) confirmed that they had skipped the banner.
In a speech Wednesday, President Trump said his administration is notifying him that all schools receiving federal funding “if men take over women’s sports teams” will “investigate for a Title IX violation.”
California National Discussion Center
Changes to federal regulations reflect efforts to find an intermediate foundation in debates regarding trans girls’ participation in youth sports.
“The CIF values all student-athletes and will continue to support its mission to provide students with opportunities to belong, connect and compete while adhering to California law,” the group said in a statement after announcing changes to the rules.
A recent AP-NORC poll shows that around seven in 10 adults in the US believe that transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in female and female sports at high school, college or occupational levels. That view was shared by about nine of the 10 Republicans and about half of the Democrats.
The federal announcement of the change after Trump threatened to withdraw federal funds from California unless trans female athletes are banned from competing in women’s teams. The federation said it had decided to make changes earlier.
The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate federal and districts, including federal high schools, to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination laws.
California law allows trans students to compete with gender sports teams that match their gender identity.
The federal stated that the regulations open the field to more “biological women” athletes. One expert said that while creating an extra space for “biological women” athletes, the change itself could be discriminatory as it is not another trans athlete.
The federation did not specify how to define “biological women” or how to verify whether their competitors meet that definition.
Sophia Rawley, outreach director for California Families Council, was at the stadium on Saturday. She said federal policies are not a fix for this issue, but will ultimately only cause confusion.
“At the end of the day,” Laurie said.
Hernandez told Publications Capital & Maine this month that he cannot worry about critics.
“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and behaving like a child shows how you’re like a person,” she said.
Other students break records
The California championship stands out from champions in other states due to the large number of competitors. According to a survey by the National High School Association, the state had the second largest number of students in outdoor athletics across the country between 2023 and 2024 school year, behind Texas.
The Boys’ 100 metre heat was also a highlight, with DeLa Salle High’s junior Jayden Jefferson finishing Friday at 10.01 seconds 0.19 seconds faster than Meat Record set in 2023.
The athletes have set up new meet records at several events, including boys and girls relay races, hurdle competitions, and boys pole vaults.
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Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Brian from Albuquerque, New Mexico contributed to this report.
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