Caitlyn Jenner has lashed out after a transgender athlete won a second-place medal in a California track and field competition.
Sonoma Academy junior Athena Ryan, who is a transgender female, claimed the silver in the varsity girls’ 1,600-meter run at the North Coast Meet of Champions of California finals on Saturday.
Ryan’s placement edged out Adeline Johnson, a senior at the Branson High School, who came in fourth place and will miss out on advancing to the California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships next week.
A clip of Johnson during the podium placement ceremony in Dublin, California, went viral when she was caught giving a thumbs-down gesture.
Her school later insisted that the incident was taken out of context and it has nothing to do with her transgender competitor, but Jenner — who transitioned in 2015 — voiced her displeasure with Ryan’s participation.
“As ‘somewhat’ of a track star myself, and a trans person, THIS IS WRONG!!! HELP ME PUSH BACK!” she said on Twitter, where she linked to her political action committee, Fairness First.
“And FYA trans ppl you are being used by the radical gender ideology cult as political pawns. That’s all you are to them,” added Jenner, 73, who won the gold medal in the men’s decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
“As ‘somewhat’ of a track star myself, and a trans person, THIS IS WRONG!!! HELP ME PUSH BACK!” Caitlyn Jenner wrote in reaction to the participation of trans high schooler Athena Ryan in a California track race.
Ryan, who finished with a 4:55.91 run time, qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships after finishing in the top three.
“I dropped like 17 seconds on my season’s best in the past two weeks. After last weekend, I didn’t think I could run low 5s again. I was just coming here trying to break 5 — just glad I finished it out,” Ryan told MileSplit after the meet.
Johnson (second from left) will be unable to compete in the state championship since only the top three are selected.
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The Branson School said its student athlete made the negative gesture to her mother about her own performance.
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Meanwhile, Johnson sparked debate with her hand gesture.
However, on Monday, her school maintained that the gesture was about her own performance.
“The ‘thumbs-down’ gesture made by Branson runner Adeline Johnson on the infield at the NCS Meet of Champions on May 20, 2023 was a response to her mother regarding Adeline’s individual performance, and it should not be construed as a statement about her competitors,” Assistant Head of School Nathalio Gray told The Post in a statement.
The school “supports and commends all of the athletes for their performances” at the North Coast Meet of Champions of California finals, Gray added.
The viral moment occurred after a group of protesters showed up to the event with a banner reading “Protect female sports” and were removed by security, according to images and video posted by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports.
The group also repeatedly misgendered the trans student.
It was unclear if the protesters had any affiliation with the athletes or their schools — or simply targeted the sporting event because a trans teen was competing.
* Article From: The New York Post
