“This is MADNESS”: Transgender runner Athena Ryan sparks debate after bagging second place in girls’ race

Athena Ryan, a transgender student of the Sonoma Academy is hitting the headlines as she recently managed to win second place in the varsity girl 1,600-meter run during the North Coast Meet of Champions of California finals. The California high school running competition took place on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

As videos of Ryan accepting her winning trophy went viral, various social media users began disputing it, with one internet user, @BrittRooted, declaring, "This is MADNESS."

The tweet was a response to the Independent Council on Women's Sports retaliation post for Athena on social media, which stated that Trans-identifying male Athena placed second in the Girls' 1600-meter race in Dublin, California.

Independent Council on Women's Sports also shared a video in which Adeline Johnson, who came in fourth in the race, can be seen giving a thumbs-down.

As a result of her second-place finish in the 1,600-meter finals, Athena now qualifies for next week's California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field Championships.

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Social media users share disappointment after Athena Ryan managed to win second place in the race

Several internet users became furious after Athena Ryan won second place. Some users pointed out that the fact that Athena won the race was unfair to the other women who participated, and they highlighted the fact that Adeline Johnson, who came in fourth place at the event, even showed a thumbs down.

See reactions here:

Notably, in the video, Adeline Johnson, a senior at Branson High School who placed fourth, was seen waving to the audience before displaying a thumbs-down gesture. However, it was unclear who Johnson was showing thumbs down to in the video.

The track event also saw protesters with signs reading "Protect female sport."

Later, the protestors were removed from the ground. One of the demonstrators remarked the following in a video that went viral:

"They’re kicking us out because we care about women and girls."

However, a security guard responded to her and said:

"That’s not what we’re doing. I’m an activist myself. You can’t do that."

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California Interscholastic Federation has certain rules about Gender Identity Participation

In 2013, The California Interscholastic Federation enacted its Gender Identity Participation. As per it:

"All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF athletics and/or activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity."

The rules further mention that all student-athletes will participate in programs consistent with their gender identity or the gender they most consistently expressed.

Meanwhile, Athena Ryan after completing the race said she didn't think that she could run low 5s again. Ryan while speaking with MileSplit after the race said that she dropped like 17 seconds on her season’s best in the past two weeks.

After last weekend, Athena Ryan didn’t think she could run low 5s again and was just coming here trying to break 5. Ryan added that she is simply relieved to have completed it.