A transgender athlete sparked backlash after breaking the women's 300-meter track record at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Sadie Schreiner, formerly known as Camden, stormed to victory in a track and field meet at Nazareth University in New York on December 8, setting the new record with a time of 41.80 seconds.
Schreiner reportedly competed in the same race a year ago in the men's 100-meter category, where she came home in 19th place.
Women's sports activist Riley Gaines, a former standout college swimmer who spoke out against transgender athletes after competing against controversial NCAA champion Lia Thomas, condemned the win as “won by a man.”
“This often happens for something that never happens,” she says said on X.
Schreiner's win is just the latest example of a growing number of transgender athletes finding success in women's sports as experts warn they have an unfair physical advantage due to the effects of male puberty.
Sadie Schreiner romped to victory in the women's 300-meter dash on December 8, breaking the RIT school record and beating her nearest challenger by nearly a full second
Schreiner reportedly competed in the men's 100 meters category at the same meet a year ago, finishing in 19th place
Schreiner's record attempts this month sparked anger among those who say she has an unfair advantage over biological women, with her time in the 300 meters equivalent to just 41st in the men's category.
After Gaines shared her disapproval of the win, journalist Cindy Hoedel added that the increasing victories of transgender athletes “make a mockery of women's sports.”
“It will take women years to get rid of these men. The women who won will eventually be recognized in the record books, but will never regain the stolen experience of standing on the podium.”
Gaines has been an outspoken opponent of transgender inclusion in women's sports and testified before Congress this month as lawmakers consider changing Title IX rules to support transgender inclusion.
“There are numerous documented examples of men competing not only in women's swimming, but also in women's track and field, cross country, basketball, volleyball, hockey and other sports at all levels of competition,” Gaines said.
Swimmer Riley Gaines (right) has become an outspoken opponent of transgender inclusion in women's sports and has expressed her outrage over competing against 2022 NCAA champion Lia Thomas (left)
“At the high school level, male athletes' participation on women's teams is perhaps one of the most under-reported stories in the country.”
Her comments come after a number of transgender athletes sparked backlash after winning women's sporting events across the country, including a cycling race in North Carolina in August where a transgender woman won by more than five minutes.
Gaines previously testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her trauma of sharing a locker room with swimmer Lia Thomas, who sparked controversy by becoming the first transgender athlete to win the NCAA championships in March 2022.
“In addition to being forced to give up our awards, our titles, and our opportunities, the NCAA forced me and my female swimmers to share a locker room with Thomas, a 6-foot-2, 22-year-old man equipped with (and expose) male genitalia,” Gaines said.
Current and former athletes say trans athletes like Lia Thomas (left), the swimmer who achieved modest success in the male categories before becoming a national champion in the women's events after transitioning, are highlighting the physical benefits of trans women
A debate has raged ever since, but it was initially raised as a point of contention following the rise of Cece Telfer — who became the first openly trans woman to win an NCAA title when she placed first in the 400-meter hurdles at the Division II National Championships in 2019.
The following year, Laurel Hubbard, from New Zealand, became the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympics when she competed in weightlifting at the Tokyo Games.
In April, cyclist Hannah Arensman heartbreakingly announced the end of her dream of competing in the Olympics after losing to a biological man. She said their participation meant she would “lose no matter how hard I train.”
In April, cyclist Hannah Arensman announced her retirement from professional cycling after being beaten to a podium finish by Austin Killips, a transgender athlete.
Cece Telfer became the first openly trans woman to win an NCAA title when she placed first in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019 Division II National Championships (photo)
Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender woman to compete in the 2020 Olympics
Tommy Lundberg, a lecturer in physiology at Sweden's Karolinska Institute and a leading researcher in the field, told DailyMail.com in March: 'The most important thing is whether or not you have benefited from male development and male puberty and whether you have . , you get benefits that you can't undo later.'
This view was also shared by Nancy Hogshead, a former professional swimmer who won three gold medals and one silver at the 1984 Olympics, who told DailyMail.com: 'Trans women have an undeniable physical advantage.
“Their bodies do what male bodies do when they go through puberty and that's why we see pervasive segregation of sports around the world.
'Unless it concerns just playing, just recreational sports. All competitive sports are segregated by gender.”
Notably, transgender figurehead Caitlyn Jenner, who won gold in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Olympics before becoming one of the world's best-known trans women, has also called Thomas' success “an anathema to what sport represents and to the spirit of competition'.