This is the moment a transgender high school student won the state women’s high jump championship, sparking a backlash from tennis player Martina Navratilova.
“And I’ll keep saying this like a nauseum until the rules change: Women’s sports are no place for failed male athletes.” the sports legend, who is openly gay, posted on X.
Navratilova added: ‘I’m not the one competing. Most women and girls don’t want male bodies to compete against them. And this guy just grew long hair, without mitigation. He keeps male bodies out of women’s sports; they are free to compete in the men’s category.’
The sophomore, whom DailyMail.com is not naming because of her age, won the women’s high jump at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state indoor track and field championship over the weekend.
She finished in first place with a mark of 5’1”, an inch better than any of her female competitors, but well below the lowest high jump in the men’s division, which was 5’8”.
This is the moment a transgender high school student won the girls’ state high jump championship
Martina Navratilova opposes Megan Rapinoe in the debate on trans women in women’s sports
Navratilova, an openly gay sports icon, is pictured winning Wimbledon
‘How could this child’s parents allow their son to deprive deserving women of opportunities? And why don’t the girls’ parents stand up and say ‘no’ for their daughters? Former UPenn swimmer Riley Gaines posted on social media. “This country is full of failed and cowardly mothers and fathers.”
Navratilova has become a leading voice against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports divisions.
The Czech-born American former professional tennis player, 66, is a strong supporter of the LGBT community, although she has previously expressed that she only wants biological women to participate in women’s sports.
Last year she sided with World Athletics to push for a policy omitting transgender athletes from internationally recognized women’s competitions, calling it “a step in the right direction.”
“Following the World Athletics announcement, I think the best idea would be to have ‘female biological’ and ‘female biological’ categories and then an ‘open’ category,” she shared in an interview. ed in The Times, a British national daily newspaper based in London.
Trans women competing in women’s sports is a highly controversial topic that has dominated the headlines for many years, and the debate is only growing.
Lia Thomas (left) is one of the most prominent trans athletes competing in women’s sports.
Critics say that going through puberty as children gives many trans women considerable biological advantages that can make it impossible for women to overcome them.
Supporters point to hormonal guidelines intended to level the playing field, but some studies show they still fail to eliminate the inherent advantage trans women enjoy.
There are also concerns that in contact sports like football, allowing trans women to play could cause more serious injuries.
Swimmer Lia Thomas is perhaps the most notable transathlete in the world, having competed in men’s swimming competitions until 2020, before moving to the women’s team and winning an NCAA Division I national championship title.
Thomas has been the subject of a lot of hate online, and several opponents have come forward to express their displeasure at the fact that she can compete against biological women.
The issue has divided the United States in recent years, with most Americans against transgender athletes competing against women. Critics say transgender athletes have an unfair advantage over women in competition, and at least 23 states have passed laws to protect women’s sports.