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Fury as trans athlete WINS women’s 1500m event in Canada, one year after breaking 5000m race record for 45-49 year olds
- Tiffany Newell, 50, took first place in the 1,500m W50, which is open to women ages 50-54, at the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in Toronto.
- While only one other person in that age group competed, Newell has repeatedly placed first in women’s events since the transition in 2017.
- The victory comes amid a fierce global debate over whether trans women should be allowed to compete against biological women in sports.
The victory of a trans woman in a 1500m running event in Canada has added fuel to the debate about trans women competing in women’s sports.
Tiffany Newell, 50, took first place in the 1,500m W50, which is open to women ages 50 to 54, at the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in Toronto, which took place over the weekend.
While only one other person in that age group competed, Newell has repeatedly placed first in women’s events and set world records in her age category, since transitioning in 2017.
The recent win, with a time of 05:07.611, comes amid a fierce global debate over whether trans women should be allowed to compete in women’s sports categories. Evidence has shown that transgender women who have not gone through male puberty maintain their physical advantage even after treatment to lower testosterone levels.
Several US state legislatures have introduced bills designed to prevent trans women from competing against women in sports.
Tiffany Newell (left) has won multiple events and set a few records since making the transition in 2017.
Her success at the recent Canadian Masters Indoor Championships was highlighted by the International Consortium on Women’s Sport, a campaign group that advocates for protected categories in sport for biological women.
Newell was competing in the 12th Canadian Masters Indoor Championships. The results show that the other competitor in the W50 category, Catherin Weber, finished with a time of 06:19.358.
Last year, Newell set a new Canadian record in the 5,000m in the women’s 45-49 category with a time of 18:02:30. Canadian Masters Athletics upheld the time as a record under World Athletics policy for trans athletes.
The policy states that the athlete must provide a signed statement confirming their gender identity and also demonstrate that their blood serum testosterone concentration has been below 5 nanomoles per liter continuously for a period of at least 12 months.
Some critics have suggested an open category along with those for biological men and women, but Newell has previously said he doesn’t support the idea.
“The policy makes sense for non-binary athletes, but I’m not comfortable competing against men.” she said.
‘It categorizes me into the sex I don’t identify with. I am a woman and feel more comfortable competing against women or other transgender women.
“I think an open category can work if athletes can continue to compete against athletes of the same gender.”
Newell’s success in her latest event was highlighted by the International Consortium on Women’s Sport, a campaign group that advocates for protected categories in sport for biological women.
The ICFS noted that Newell’s 1,500m time was recorded in the World Masters Rankings as the current number one for a woman in the W50 category in 2023. No other times have yet been entered on the WMR website in that category this anus.
The ICFS asked World Athletics and World Masters Athletics why it is not ‘protecting the integrity of the women’s category’ and claimed that Newell’s entry was ‘blatant sex discrimination’.
Supporters of the ICFS position said the competition was “wrong and unfair”.
Former NFL star Marcellus Wiley recently spoke out against transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Trans swimmer Lia Thomas is a biological male and has caused controversy in NCAA swimming
The participation of trans women in women’s competitions has become the subject of fierce debate in recent years, prompting many current and former professional athletes to take a position in the debate.
Former NFL star Marcellus Wiley said earlier this month that it’s “not right” for transgender women to compete against biological women in sporting events.
The former FS1 personality highlighted how athletes like swimmer Lia Thomas, one of the most prominent trans athletes, have established themselves as the best competitors in the female categories.
A Pro Bowl defensive end in 2001, Wiley said he “has no problem with transgender people” but was offended by their involvement in women’s sports.
Retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova recently ‘misled’ trans athletes. Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, who competed as a man in the 1976 Olympics before transitioning, said Thomas has “a huge advantage over the girls” he competes against.