Moment transgender sophomore wins girl’s high jump contest, with tennis ace Martina Navratilova among those condemning her victory

This is the moment a transgender high school student won the girls high jump state championship, sparking a backlash from tennis ace Martina Navratilova.

“And I will continue to say this like nausea until the rules change: Women’s sports are no place for failed male athletes.” the sports legend, who is openly gay, posted on X.

Navratilova added: “I’m not the one participating. Most women and girls don’t want male bodies to compete with them. And this boy just got long hair, no softening. Keep male bodies out of women’s sports; they are free to compete in the men’s category.’

The sophomore, whom DailyMail.com is not naming because of her age, won the girls high jump at the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 state indoor track and field championship this weekend.

She finished in first place with a mark of 1.80 meters – an inch better than all her female competitors, but well below the lowest high jump in the boys division, which was 1.80 meters.

Martina Navratilova opposes Megan Rapinoe in the debate about trans women in women’s sports

Navratilova, an openly gay sports icon, is pictured winning Wimbledon

“How could this boy’s parents allow their son to deprive deserving women of opportunities? And why don’t the girls’ parents stand up and say ‘no’ to their daughters?’ former UPenn swimmer Riley Gaines posted on social media. “This country is full of failing, cowardly mothers and fathers.”

Navratilova has become a leading voice against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports divisions.

The Czech-born American former professional tennis player, 66, is a staunch supporter of the LGBT community, although she has previously expressed that she only wants biological women to participate in women’s sports.

Last year, she sided with World Athletics for pushing for a policy banning transgender female athletes from internationally recognized women’s competitions. She called this a “step in the right direction.”

“In the wake of the World Athletics announcement, I think it would be the best idea to have ‘biological women’ and ‘biological girls’ categories, and then an ‘open’ category,” she said in response. published in The Times – a British national daily newspaper based in London.

Trans women competing in women’s sports is a highly controversial topic that has dominated headlines for years, and the debate is only growing.

Lia Thomas (left) is one of the most high-profile trans athletes in women’s sports

Critics say going through puberty as boys gives many trans women significant biological advantages that could make it impossible for women to defeat them.

Advocates point to hormone guidelines as intended to level the playing field, but some studies show they still fail to eliminate trans women’s inherent advantage.

There are also concerns that allowing trans women to play in contact sports such as football could potentially cause more serious injuries.

Swimmer Lia Thomas is perhaps the most talked-about trans athlete in the world. She competed in male swimming competitions until 2020, before moving to the women’s team and subsequently winning an NCAA Division I national championship title.

Thomas has been the subject of much hate online, with several detractors coming forward to express their displeasure that she could compete with biological women.

The issue has divided the US in recent years, as a majority of Americans oppose transgender athletes competing against women. Critics argue that transgender athletes have an unfair advantage over women in competition and that at least 23 states have passed laws to protect women’s sports.