AB Hernandez closes high school career with 2 California state titles amid ongoing controversy
The party's over.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez finished one of the most highly-publicized high school sports careers in modern history on Saturday night at the California track and field state championship, winning two titles and sharing podium spots with female competitors.
Hernandez took first place in the girls' high jump and triple jump, and third place in the long jump. Last year, Hernandez won the triple jump and high jump state championships and finished second in the long jump.
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And just like last year, Hernandez shared every podium appearance alongside the female competitor who finished one spot behind the athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) reimplemented the same pilot program used at last year's championships, awarding podium recognition to every girl who finished directly behind Hernandez.
At Saturday's girls' high jump podium ceremony, Hernandez's final podium appearance of the night, multiple girls shared podium spots, leaving one side of the podium completely empty.
Images of Hernandez sharing podium spots with female opponents became an infamous viral point of debate over the last two weeks leading up to the finals, after the CIF's controversial policy change.
The policy came under intense scrutiny from women's sports activists and even Hernandez's supporters, including the athlete's mother, after it was re-implemented three weeks ago at the CIF Southern Section finals.
The images fueled a heated political debate over trans athletes in women's sports that has followed Hernandez's high school career since the 2024-2025 school year.
The political intersection of Hernandez's high school career reached a fever pitch during championship weekend, with the athlete appearing in a video with Democrat California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer on the morning of the CIF championship preliminary round on Friday. Later that day, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton headlined a rally outside the preliminary advocating for the protection of girls' sports.
Then on Saturday, a press conference, organized by the local California LGBTQ advocacy groups Pride at the Pier and Rainbow Families Action, took place outside the CIF state championship, and police were summoned as Hernandez supporters engaged in a war of words with "Save Girls Sports" activists.
Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, and other LGBTQ activists spoke in support of the trans athlete.
Near the end of the press conference, a group of "Save Girls Sports" activists showed up and engaged in a heated verbal confrontation with participants in the LGBTQ press conference.
Clovis Police Department vehicles were parked in the vicinity, and multiple officers came to oversee the confrontation when the shouting began.
Eventually, the confrontation dissipated without any direct intervention by police.
Hernandez went on to win two state titles later that night, bouncing back from the loss in the long jump to dominate the high jump and long jump. The athlete competed in both events simultaneously, running back and forth between the two events as one of the only athletes to compete in both.
Now, with Hernandez's high school career over, California is left with an ongoing conflict over the issue of biological males in girls' sports.
The U.S. Department of Justice is currently suing education agencies in the state for its policies that allow trans athletes to compete against females, and Hernandez's school district, Jurupa Unified School District, is under investigation by the Department of Education.
California's gubernatorial primary is also just days away, with the issue of transgender athletes in girls' sports emerging as a prominent campaign topic as Hilton seeks to secure a spot in the general election later this year.
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