AB Hernandez grins on podium as trans athlete wins state championship despite ‘violent' protests over competition
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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.
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AB Hernandez, center left, shares the first-place spot on the podium with Kira Gant Hatcher during a medal ceremony for the triple jump
Credit: AP
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AB Hernandez, center, flashes a victory sign as sharing the first-place spot on the podium with Jillene Wetteland, left, and Lelani Laruelle during a medal ceremony
Credit: AP
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Hernandez was seen grinning and flaunting medals
Credit: AP
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Hernandez of Jurupa Valley competes in the girls' long jump during the CIF State Track and Field Championships
Credit: Getty
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Demonstrators hold signs outside the Veteran's Memorial Stadium during the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, California
Credit: AP
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.
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-meter.
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.
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The protests quickly turned violent after one person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Clovis police Sgt. 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.
In the TikTok, the parent can also be heard shouting: "Your mental illness is on your son, coward."
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Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley leaves the track during the CIF State Track and Field Championships
Credit: Getty
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Hernandez competes in the high jump
Credit: AP
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A banner reading 'no boys in girls' sports!' is flown above Veterans' Memorial Stadium during the California high school track-and-field championships
Credit: AP
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.
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