A transgender high school athlete shared the top step of the podium with female rivals at a California track meet on Saturday, despite beating them by a large margin in the division championships.
The bizarre circumstances unfolded at the CIF Southern Section finals in Moorpark, after trans athlete AB Hernandez had easily beaten biological female rivals in the long jump, high jump and triple jump.
When it came time for the podium celebrations, the announcers told the crowd that each event had two ‘co-champions’, including Hernandez – a bizarre rule that was brought in last year to seemingly appease the defeated young girls.
According to Fox News, Jurupa Valley High School athlete Hernandez first won the long jump by more than a foot over Moorpark High’s Gianna Gonzalez, but the latter stood alone on the top step of the podium with Hernandez absent.
In the second event, Hernandez won first place in the high jump by two inches, beating biological female Gwnneth Mureika of Oak Park. At the podium celebration, the pair stood together on the top step.
The final event was triple jump, in which Hernandez reportedly won by nearly two feet over Malia Strange of Shadow Hills.
For the second straight year, AB Hernandez shared the top step of the podium with ‘co-champions’ despite winning by a large margin
Transgender athlete Hernandez (pictured in 2025) again dominated in the high school finals
Strange was mysteriously absent from the podium celebration, leaving Hernandez to stand alone on the top step without the ‘joint champion’ rival.
Hernandez now moves on to next Saturday’s CIF preliminaries, with a chance to get back to the state finals for a second straight year.
Last year, the CIF authorities brought in a ‘pilot program’ – amid much fury – that awarded any female athlete who finished behind a trans rival the chance to share the top step of the podium as a joint winner.
It has been reported that the same circumstances will be in place for the remainder of the postseason.
Earlier in the week, one of Hernandez’s biggest rivals had threatened to protest against the trans athlete if she was on the podium too.
Reese Hogan, of Crean Lutheran High School, went viral 12 months ago with a similar protest, in which she finished behind Hernandez but then made a point of taking her place on the top step of the podium.
When asked if she would take a stand again this year, Hogan told Fox News Digital: ‘If the opportunity presents itself, we’ll see, yeah.’
Protestors have regularly complained about Hernandez’s participation in the girls’ events
Hernandez won the high jump finals by two inches at Moorpark High School in California
On Saturday, Hogan finished third in the high jump, sixth in the triple jump, and did not make the finals of the long jump.
‘This is my third year competing against a transgender athlete, and last year I was stripped away of a CIF Title. I basically worked my whole career to get to that point,’ Hogan told the outlet during the emotional interview earlier in the week.
‘It’s just really disappointing to go into a competition knowing you already lost.
‘I’m here to stand up for girls in girls sports and to call out CIF and the state of California for their poor leadership and lack of support for female athletes.’
