Trans athlete laughs off backlash after winning California girls' track and field titles

Transgender track and field athlete AB Hernandez won two first-place medals at the California state championships earlier this month and, on Saturday, laughed off the backlash.

The Jurupa Valley High School athlete was at the center of the controversy surrounding transgender athletes’ participation in California high school athletics. It drew condemnation from President Donald Trump and dueling lawsuits between the Justice Department and the state.

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First-place winners AB Hernandez, left, and Jillene Wetteland share a light moment before the medal ceremony for the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, California, on Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The California Interscholastic Federation even made a change to allow biological females to receive first place medals if their standing was displaced by a transgender athlete. 

"It’s definitely crazy. I get a lot of hate comments, but I don’t care," Hernandez told KCRA-TV with a laugh. "I’m a 16-year-old girl with a mad attitude – you think I’m gonna care?"

According to the station, Hernandez tried to avoid the limelight before it was revealed that the athlete identified as transgender. Hernandez was third in the girls’ triple jump state finals in 2024 before winning the event as a junior in 2025. Hernandez also won in the girls’ high jump this year.

AB Hernandez, center, flashes a sign as she shares the first-place spot on the podium with Jillene Wetteland, left, and Lelani Laruelle during a medal ceremony for the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, California, on Saturday, May 31, 2025. At right is third-place finisher Julia Teven. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

TRACKING THE TRANS ATHLETE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CONTROVERSIES SHAKING THE NATION OVER THE LAST YEAR

Hernandez called the protests that ensued "weird" and vowed to take a page from the critics and not back down from competing.

"I did what I wanted to do," Hernandez told the station. "I PR’d in everything, so that’s what I was really aiming to do. All of this backlash, I’m just like, I performed by best and that’s all I cared about."

It is unclear whether new rules will come into place in California for next season.

AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, poses for photos with her medals at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, California, on Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Trump signed the "No Men in Women’s Sports" executive order in February, prohibiting schools from allowing males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. California was one of five states that saw transgender athletes win medals in championships during the 2024-25 high school sports season.

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