Trans athlete AB Hernandez sparks storm over podium celebration

A trans athlete has sparked a furore after flaunting their gold medals on the podium after winning at the state track championships.

Trans athlete AB Hernandez was seen grinning and flaunting medals after defeating female rivals at the California state track championship.

Hernandez claimed gold in the high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals – defying Donald Trump’s executive order that bans trans athletes from women’s sports.

Violent protests erupted yesterday as the trans pupil, 16, sparked a heated row after competing in women’s sports.

Trump had said on social media that he was “ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow” Hernandez to compete.

But the CIF this week introduced a new policy that allowed an additional student to compete and win medals in the events where Hernandez qualified.

AB Hernandez on the first-place step with Kira Gant Hatcher. Photo: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

This is why the trans athlete shared winning spots with at least one female rival.

Hernandez claimed tied-first place in the varsity high jump final alongside Lelani Laruelle and Jillene Wetteland – both females.

The trans athlete later won another first-place in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher – who trailed by just over a half-metre.

But the sports row surrounding Hernandez took a dramatic turn yesterday after furious protesters gathered around the stadium to denounce the trans teen.

They were seen carrying placards and boards outside the Veterans’ Memorial Stadium, where the sporting event took place.

A banner reading “NO BOYS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS!” was flown above the sporting venue during the high school track-and-field championships.

The banner flew over the event. Photo: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The protests quickly turned violent after one person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Clovis police Sargeant Chris Hutchison told the Chronicle.

He said the person – understood to be an LGBTQ activist – allegedly used a Pride flag to smash a car window, leaving a person injured.

During the heats, furious high school parents berated Hernandez’s mother for the trans athlete’s dominant victory.

The video, which has now gone viral on TikTok, shows the parents hounding Hernandez’s mother for allowing the teen to compete.

One of the parents can be heard yelling at the mother: “What a coward of a woman you are allowing that.”

Hernandez’s story previously made headlines after another teenage girl, who the athlete beat to first place in a separate contest, waited for Hernandez to descend from the podium before moving to pose in the top spot.

AB Hernandez, centre, flashes a sign during the high jump medal ceremony. Photo: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

In the TikTok, the parent can also be heard shouting: “Your mental illness is on your son, coward.”

More than half of the US states have implemented bans on trans youth athletes participating since 2020.

But California state law allows the participation of trans women and girls in women’s sports.

Trump posted on Truth Social: “Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.”

His message refers to an Executive Order from February titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”.

In an interview with Capital & Main, Hernandez, from Jurupa Valley, California, said: “There’s nothing I can do about people’s actions, just focus on my own.”

The trans pupil faced heckling and protesters in the crowd at a track meet earlier this month and was accompanied by campus security and Sheriff’s Department deputies, CNN has reported.

This story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.

Originally published as Trans athlete AB Hernandez sparks storm over podium celebration