Male High School Runner Wins Girls Title in 400-Meter Dash

A transgender high school runner, Veronica Garcia, won the girl’s title in the Washington State championships on Saturday, finishing first by a full one second over the next closest competitor.

According to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s sports policy, any student can participate in any category that corresponds with their “gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed.”

This win follows a trend of transgender athletes winning girl’s sports titles across the country. In Oregon, a similar situation occurred over the weekend, sparking outrage among some.

Riley Gaines, a Save Women’s Sports advocate, blasted the school’s decision, saying that the outcome was not surprising. “Would you look at that – the thing that never happens happened again,” she tweeted. “Veronica Garcia just won the Washington State Championship in the girls’ 400m in total domination. In Washington & Oregon this past week, the fastest ‘girl’ in each state has been a boy.”

Jessie Hikes posted an image showing how far ahead the male winner of the race in Washington was.

Other Twitter users also expressed their concerns about transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports. “Wow, look at Veronica Garcia winning the girls’ 400m at the Washington State Championship today! No one else even came close!” wrote one user. “I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that all the other runners are female, while Veronica is male and just ‘identifies’ as a girl, though.”

Some girls, however, are speaking out against schools allowing boys to compete as girls. In April, five West Virginia girls on a school track & field team protested against being forced to compete against a male by refusing to compete. The school district later retaliated against the five girls and banned them from school sports. However, a court later forced the school to reverse the ban.