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https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/45413586/trans-athlete-ab-hernandez-wins-girls-calif-high-jump-title
Trans athlete AB Hernandez wins 2 Calif. H.S. jumping events
CLOVIS, Calif. -- A transgender athlete bested the competition Saturday at the California high school track and field championships to take home gold in the girls' high jump and the triple jump at a meet that has stirred controversy and drawn national attention.
AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that might be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.
Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches, with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium.
Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, wrapped up the night with a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed by just over a half-meter.
Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump.
Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet. This year's winner, Loren Webster, topped 21 feet, with Hernandez trailing by a few inches.
Webster, a senior from Wilson High School, told the Los Angeles Times that she focused only on her performance and didn't give Hernandez much thought.
"It wasn't any other person I was worried about," Webster said. "I knew what I was capable of. I can't control the uncontrollable."
Trans athlete AB Hernandez wins 2 Calif. H.S. jumping events
CLOVIS, Calif. -- A transgender athlete bested the competition Saturday at the California high school track and field championships to take home gold in the girls' high jump and the triple jump at a meet that has stirred controversy and drawn national attention.
AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that might be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body.
Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches, with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium.
Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, wrapped up the night with a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed by just over a half-meter.
Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump.
Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet. This year's winner, Loren Webster, topped 21 feet, with Hernandez trailing by a few inches.
Webster, a senior from Wilson High School, told the Los Angeles Times that she focused only on her performance and didn't give Hernandez much thought.
"It wasn't any other person I was worried about," Webster said. "I knew what I was capable of. I can't control the uncontrollable."
