At the California Interscholastic Federation’s Southern Section championships over the weekend, 17-year-old transgender student AB Hernandez captured first place in the girls’ long jump, high jump, and triple jump events. The Jurupa Valley High School senior received backlash for competing in the girls’ division from both athletes and those online. 

Under a pilot program adopted in 2025, the female athletes who would have come in first place were it not for Hernandez were also awarded gold medals. XX-XY Athletics, founded by Jennifer Sey and a supporter of women’s sports, released a video mocking the move.

“Introducing Podi-him, an inclusive podium with a first-place wide enough for a deserving female and an undeserving male. Podi-him lets me stay neutral,” the mock advertisement stated. It had track officials saying, “I don’t have to have awkward conversations anymore. While girls take the ‘L’. Brilliant,” while a parent in the stands says, “Podi-him teaches my girls, protecting boys’ feelings is more important than fairness.”

The CIF had announced on May 16 that the pilot program that introduced the dual gold medals in events with trans athletes would be reinstated for the weekend’s competition. “The CIF values all our student-athletes, and we will continue to uphold our mission in providing students the opportunity to belong, connect and compete, while competing with California law and education code,” the letter stated, per Outkick. The program had initially been enacted due to Hernandez. 

In the high jump event, Hernandez won with a jump of 5 feet, 8 inches, coming 2 inches ahead of Oak Park’s Gwynneth Mureika. The photo of the two athletes sharing the top slot on the podium went viral. 

In the triple jump, Hernandez secured the first-place spot with a jump just over 41 feet, 7 inches. Malia Strange, of Shadow Hills High School, came in second with a jump of 39 feet, four inches. When Hernandez stood atop the podium for his medal, Strange did not come up to appear alongside him, per the New York Post. Hernandez also came in first in the long jump with a jump just shy of 20 feet, five inches. Moorpark’s Gianna Gonzalez came in second with a jump just over 19 feet. 

Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who spoke out against competing against trans-identified male Lia Thomas, told Fox news, “At this point, I believe they’re just seeking a public humiliation ritual for the girls. I mean, really, it’s probably one of the most abusive things that you can do to a young woman.”

“You are minimizing their accomplishments, you are asking them to stand aside, to smile, to applaud the boy, to deny reality, and pretend that it’s all okay. What is that? It is psychological abuse on full display.”