Clovis, California – The State Athletics Finals of the California High School will award an additional medal on Saturday at events in which a transgender athlete is among the top three, a change of rules that can be the first of its kind nationwide by a secondary sports government agency.
The new Interscholastic Federation policy of California was written in response to the success of the AB Hernández Secondary Junior, a trans student who competes in the height jump, long jump and triple jump. He led in the three events after the preliminaries on Friday. The CIF said earlier this week that he would Let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernández described.
The two -day championship began in the suffocating heat in high school near Fresno. The atmosphere was relatively quiet on Friday despite critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump, asking Hernández to produce girl competition before the meeting.
There was some setback on Friday. A group of less than 10 people gathered outside the stadium before the meeting to protest the participation of Hernández. Some of them wore “Save Girls’ Sports” t -shirts. In a moment when Hernández was trying a height, someone in the stands shouted an insult. A plane surrounded on the stadium for more than an hour during the events, with a banner that said: “There are no boys in girls’ sports!”
The rest of the night worked without problems for Hernández, who finished the triple jump with a brand near 41 feet (13 meters), almost 10 inches (25 centimeters) ahead of its nearest competitor, Kira Gant, Junior of the San Francisco Bay area.
Hernández also led in the long jump with a mark about 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. He advanced in the height jump, cleaning 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) easily.
She did not approach the press.
The change of CIF rule reflects efforts to find a midpoint in the debate on the participation of trans girls in youth sports.
“The CIF values all our students athletes and we will continue to maintain our mission to provide students with the opportunity to belong, connect and compete while complying with the California Law,” the group said in a statement after announcing their change of rules.
TO Recent AP-NORC Survey They discovered that around 7 out of 10 American adults think that transgender athletes should not be allowed to participate in sports of girls and women at the secondary, university or professional level. That opinion was shared by approximately 9 out of 10 Republicans and approximately half of the Democrats.
The Federation announced the change of rule after Trump threatened this week to extract federal funds from California unless Trans female athlete bars to compete in female teams. The CIF said it decided the change before.
The United States Department of Justice also said that it would investigate the State Federation and the District that includes the Hernández High School to determine if they violated the Federal Law of Sexual Discrimination by allowing trans girls to compete in girls’ sports.
Some Republicans from California also intervened, with several state legislators who attended a press conference to criticize the Federation for holding Hernández in the competition and a republican candidate of governor who plans to attend the end of Saturday.
California’s Law allows students to compete in sports teams segregated by sex consisting of their gender identity.
The Federation said the rule would open the field to more “biological” athletes. An expert said that change can be discriminatory because it creates an additional place for “biological” athletes, but not for other trans athletes.
The Federation did not specify how they define the “biological woman” or how they would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
Hernández He told the capital publication AND Major Earlier this month, he could not worry about critics.
“I am still a child, you are an adult and that you act as a child shows how you are as a person,” he said.
The California State Championship stands out from other states due to the number of competitors that athletes face to qualify. The State had the second largest number of students who participated in outdoor athletics in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Secondary School Associations of the State.
The Olympics Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously established records of the state championship in the length jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, exceeding 22 feet (6.7 meters).
The 100 meters of 100 meters were also the highlights on Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson de la Salle High School in Concord ended at 10.01 seconds, approximately .2 seconds faster than a meeting record established in 2023. Jefferson’s time will not count as an record unless he can replicate his results in the final.
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Austin is a member of Associated Press’s body/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America It is a non -profit national service program that places journalists in local writing rooms to inform about undercover issues. Follow Austin in X: @Sophieadanna
