Transgender athlete sweeps girls jumps, CIF awards co-gold

A transgender high school track athlete from Jurupa Valley swept three girls jumping events at the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters meet on Saturday, prompting officials to award gold medals to the second-place finishers under a contested pilot policy.

AB Hernandez, a senior at Jurupa Valley High School, won the girls high jump, long jump and triple jump at the meet held at Moorpark High School in Ventura County. In the high jump, Hernandez cleared 5 feet 8 inches, two inches ahead of the runner-up. The long jump winning mark was 20 feet 4.75 inches, more than a foot beyond the second-place distance. In the triple jump, Hernandez leaped 41 feet 7.25 inches, roughly two feet farther than the nearest competitor.

Under a pilot policy introduced by the CIF last year, female athletes who finish behind a transgender competitor receive a gold medal and share the top step of the podium as co-champions. The policy also allows those athletes to advance to subsequent rounds without securing an outright victory. Hernandez’s victories secure a place at the state championship meet scheduled for May 29 and 30 in Clovis, where Hernandez has previously won state...