CLOVIS — Jurupa Valley’s AB Hernandez, Long Beach Poly’s Jillene Wetteland and Monta Vista’s Lelani Laruelle stood atop the podium at the CIF State track and field championship finals Saturday evening.
The three tied for first place in the high jump as a result of a new rule enacted this week by the CIF ahead of the meet. Each of the three received nine points that would contribute to the overall team scoring.
Hernandez, a transgender student-athlete, competed in the long jump, high jump and triple jump finals on Saturday. She jumped 20 feet, 8¾ inches to come in second in long jump, cleared 5-foot-7 to win first in high jump and recorded 42 feet, 2¾ inches to win first in triple jump.
Although Hernandez had the best mark in high jump and triple jump, the new CIF rule allows for a cisgender female competitor who was displaced by Hernandez to also win in those respective events.
Long Beach Wilson’s Loren Webster won the state title in long jump for the second straight year, leaping 21 feet and ¼ inches for the crown. She said she was aware of the attention surrounding her event this season, but tuned it out when it came time to perform.
“I knew there was a lot of media around the event, but I knew to dial in and focus on myself,” Webster said. “Me worrying about other people and trying to control the uncontrollable wasn’t going to help me or fall into my favor.”
Demonstrators who were against the new rule and Hernandez competing were outside the stadium Saturday and briefly forced the championships to pause.
The group of about 15 was chanting phrases like “protect girls sports” and “stop discriminating against female athletes” through a bullhorn.
The championships were paused for roughly a minute as the event announcer asked the demonstrators to stop chanting in the direction of the track.
“The only thing you are hurting is these athletes on the field,” the announcer said. “Please show respect to the athletes that are out here. They have worked hard. You are distracting them. We will continue to pause if this behavior continues.”
The crowd that filled the stands at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium cheered after the announcement. The bullhorn chants briefly continued, but eventually died down.
Earlier in the day, drivers passing by honked horns and waved in support of the group as spectators cheered for Hernandez inside the stadium.
Two protesters wore shirts with the acronym “CIF” spelled out as “can’t identify females.”
“I’m a gay woman and I’ve been called you name it,” said Marcy Strange, who wore one of the shirts. “I don’t care. What I do care about is protecting all children, including the transgender kids, because they’re being sold a bill of goods that physically harms them.”
There was no sign of a pro-trans group openly protesting in opposition. Some social media accounts had encouraged supporters to purchase a ticket for the track meet and cheer on Hernandez.
The day before, a plane had flown overhead with a banner trailing behind that said “NO BOYS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS!”
The banner was organized and funded by grassroots coalition Women Are Real, a group that’s in favor of single-sex athletic competition.
“The action is a direct protest against the California Interscholastic Federation’s policy of allowing male athletes to compete in the girls’ division, displacing female athletes and undermining the integrity of women’s sports,” Women Are Real said in a news release.
Aside from the banner, Women Are Real did not have a physical presence at the track meet Friday or Saturday.
Inside the stadium, Hernandez chatted and laughed with other jumpers Friday as she waited for her flight to compete in the triple jump.
She had already qualified for the high jump and long jump finals, recording top marks out of all competitors in each event. She went on to do the same in triple jump and needed only one jump of 40 feet, 9¾ inches to qualify for Saturday’s finals.
