Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into US Masters Swimming after a trans competitor placed first in five individual events at the Spring National Championship last month.
Ana Caldas, 47, won the the top prize in the women’s 45-49 age category for the 50 and 100-yard breaststroke, the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard individual medley in San Antonio, Texas.
And Paxton has now said that he’ll be investigating whether Caldas’ participation in the tournament violated Texas state law.
‘The policy of US Masters Swimming, which allows men to compete in women’s events, is reprehensible and could violate Texas’s consumer protection laws,’ Paxton said in a statement first obtained by OutKick.
‘Not only is this policy insulting to female athletes, but it also demonstrates deep contempt for women and may violate Texas law. I will fight to stop these unfair policies and never back down from defending the integrity of women’s sports.’
A source also told OutKick that Paxton will be looking into whether US Masters Swimming is engaged in ‘false, deceptive and misleading acts and practices.’
Ana Caldas won the the top prize in the women’s 45-49 age category for the 50 and 100-yard breaststroke, the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard individual medley
Video posted online shows Caldas beating the competition in the 50-yard breast stroke race
And now Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is probing US Masters Swimming
Caldas, who has also competed under the name Hannah, formerly competed in male college competitions, and holds numerous national records in the US Masters. Caldas has been competing at the tournament since at least 2010.
In this year’s tournament, Caldas easily beat the competition in the 50-yard breast stroke, winning by a massive three seconds with a time of 29.74.
A spokeswoman for the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) said the difference in time between Caldas and the other swimmers was ‘absolutely insane’, adding to Reduxx that Caldas was ‘just laughing at these women’.
ICONS penned a letter to the US Masters Swimming (USMS) board implying that by allowing Caldas to compete they had violated their own fair play policies. The Daily Mail previously reached out to Caldas for comment.
The board stipulates that trans women must have had hormonal therapy, and have testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L in order to compete against biological females.
‘Transparency in these matters is critical to maintaining the integrity of the competition and the trust of all USMS athletes,’ the ICONS letter stated.
‘There is no length of time during which testosterone suppression eliminates male advantage; therefore it should not serve as a guideline permitting men to compete in women’s swimming.
‘At a minimum, it is USMS’s responsibility to enforce its current policy.’
ICONS told Reduxx that USMS did not respond to their email flagging concerns. Daily Mail contacted ICONS for confirmation.
The Portuguese-born Caldas was just 0.3 seconds away from qualifying for the London Olympics in the 50m freestyle, and has also starred in several other sports.
Caldas dominated in the pool at this year’s US Masters Spring National Championship
Caldas, who has also competed under the name Hannah, is also an accomplished CrossFit athlete
The athlete has also competed in a professional weightlifting league for the Baltimore Anthem
Caldas has previously ranked atop the CrossFit rankings in Portugal, per HeCheated.Org, and also signed with weightlifting team the Baltimore Anthem in 2015.
Amid Caldas’ recent success in the pool, anti-trans activist Riley Gaines slammed the situation as as ‘a real life South Park episode.’
‘A man who goes by the name Ana swam five events at the US Masters Swimming National Championship. He won them all,’ Gaines fumed on X.
Paxton, who is running against incumbent John Cornyn for a Senate seat, has previously focused on the issue of transgender competitors in women’s sports.
In February, it emerged that he was investigating several school districts in Texas to make sure biological boys were not competing in women’s sports.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
