Jurupa Valley High Student Earns Top Honors in High Jump and Triple Jump
Transgender high school athlete AB Hernandez captured two state titles and a second-place finish at the CIF State Track and Field Championships on Saturday, competing in the spotlight of a national debate that drew criticism from conservative figures, including former President Donald Trump.
The Jurupa Valley High School junior excelled in the girls’ high jump, long jump, and triple jump events during the two-day meet held at Buchanan High School in Clovis. Hernandez tied for first place in both the high jump and triple jump, and placed second in the long jump.
CIF officials introduced a new policy ahead of the championship allowing co-winners in events where a transgender student qualifies, a move considered unprecedented among state athletic associations. In the high jump, Hernandez cleared 5 feet, 7 inches with no faults, joining Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle atop the podium after they matched the mark with earlier misses.
In the triple jump, Hernandez shared the gold with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed by just over half a meter. During the long jump, Hernandez fell just inches short of first-place finisher Loren Webster, whose winning leap exceeded 21 feet.
Hernandez told NBC LA, “I’m giving it all I can because my focus is the sport. I’m ignoring all the criticism around me.”
Neredya Hernandez, the athlete’s mother said, “There’s no words to express how proud I am of her, despite her being targeted, harassed for all these months. She’s here, she’s successful, she did it. When you’re actually here the whole event, you actually see, it’s not just hating. There’s more support, there’s more love.”, as quoted by NBC LA.
Protests surrounded the meet, with critics wearing T-shirts and bracelets promoting the “Save Girls’ Sports” slogan. On Friday, an aircraft flew over the stadium for more than an hour with a banner that read, “No Boys in Girls’ Sports.” The campaign was organized by advocacy groups opposed to transgender inclusion in women’s sports.
Despite the vocal opposition, the championship proceeded without incident. Sweltering heat marked the weekend, with temperatures topping 100 degrees during Saturday’s finals.
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into whether the CIF and the Jurupa Unified School District violated federal sex discrimination laws by allowing Hernandez to compete. Under California law, students are permitted to participate in sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
