ANALYSIS
Video: athlete climbs to the top step of the podium despite being defeated by a trans
Triples athlete Reese Hogan, who finished second after losing to AB Hernandez, was cheered by the crowd as they shouted "real champion."
Reese Hogan, on the top step of the podium.
Reese Hogan contested the competition of a lifetime in the CIF Southern Section triple jump finals. The 16-year-old athlete set a new personal record for herself and Crean Lutheran High School with 37 feet, 2 inches during her performance. However, it was not enough to clinch the victory, which went to trans athlete AB Hernandez, who also won in the long jump. When the latter stepped off the podium, Hogan rushed up to the top of the podium amid cheers from the spectators to the cry of "real champion."
What happened was shared by former swimmer Riley Gaines, champion of the fight to prevent trans athletes from participating in female categories because of their physiological advantages over female athletes. On her X account, Gaines uploaded the video with a clear message:
"When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause. THIS is the way. Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!!!"
More than a meter and a half between the trans jumper and the first triple jumper
Despite the incredible mark achieved by Hogan, Hernandez bested her by more than five feet (41 feet, 4 inches), according to Sports Illustrated. A difference that gives an idea of how unlevel the event was with the presence of a male-born athlete. Sofia Jara, the third-place finisher, came in at 36 feet, 5.5 inches.
In a second post, Gaines denounced what happened as a "fraud"and directly blamed California Democrats and Golden State Governor Gavin Newsom and against the California Interscholastic Federation, Southern Section, for allowing trans athletes to compete against women.
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