High school athlete slams CIF's shared podium rule as humiliating response that fails female competitors
AB Hernandez, a trans athlete (biological male), spent another weekend dominating girls' track and field competition, winning first place in the high jump, long jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section finals on Saturday (as reported by Fox News Digital's Jackson Thompson).
Appearing on America's Newsroom, Crean Lutheran High School girls’ track and field athlete Olivia Viola addressed CIF's ongoing neglect of female athletes' calls to oust boys from competition, including AB Hernandez.
Dana Perino spoke with Olivia and her mother:
"Olivia, sorry for what you're going through. Riley Gaines posted this: 'If you have to create a shared podium for the boy competing in the girls' event, you've already admitted you know he isn't a girl and that his participation is unfair. At that point, you're just seeking a public humiliation ritual for the girls.'"
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The high school athlete responded, emphasizing that the CIF's co-champion rule only applies to major postseason state qualifiers.
"I would say it's nothing but a band-aid fix from the athletic governing board. It doesn't actually undo all of the displacements that have happened throughout their entire league. It only applies to the final CIF meets. It doesn't apply to league, it doesn't apply to outside meets, it doesn't apply to other sports. It doesn't actually fix the problem; it's just a blanket to keep us quiet."
WATCH:
The controversy stems from the outcome of Saturday's CIF Southern Section Division finals in Moorpark, California.
Hernandez, a senior from Jurupa Valley High School, swept the postseason jumping events and defeated Crean Lutheran’s Reese Hogan in the high jump. It was the second weekend in a row that Hernandez asserted dominance over the field.
As dictated by CIF, seen as trying to appeal to both sides of the trans issue, any biological female athlete finishing directly behind a transgender competitor is automatically elevated to an identical placement.
The policy meant the top biological female finishers were designated co-champions, leading to widespread images of Hernandez sharing the top step of the medal podium with female athletes.
While CIF finds its ruling judicious, girls are calling out the blatant issue of allowing boys to compete with girls. Viola’s reaction spotlighted growing frustration among competitors who believe the ruling body is using procedural fixes to avoid addressing biological differences in girls' sports.
The rule does not retroactively address the regular season, where female athletes across California can still be displaced in local league meets, invitationals and dual meets without any podium adjustment.
And while track and field adopted the dual-advancement and dual-medal system, the policy does not easily translate to head-to-head contact sports or other athletic competitions, creating what critics see as a glaring inconsistency across the state.
CIF maintains that its rules are bound by California Assembly Bill 1266, a 2013 law requiring schools to allow students to participate in sports programs consistent with their gender identity.
Governor Gavin Newsom's office defended the framework, calling protests against Hernandez a cynical attempt to weaponize the debate.
However, resistance from female athletes like Viola aligns with a broader federal pushback.
Following Hernandez's dominant state titles last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Title IX lawsuit against California's education agencies, putting the state's athletic policies at the center of a growing national legal battle as the track season moves toward the State Finals in Clovis.
The fight to preserve fairness in girls' sports continues. And the case against AB continues to echo pro-women's arguments more than anti-trans narratives.
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