- Aayden Gallagher won on Saturday by two tenths of a second
A transgender teen athlete was booed as she was crowned state champion of the Oregon Girls’ 6A 200-meter race.
Aayden Gallagher won by two-tenths of a second and was also booed when she crossed the finish line on Saturday.
The high school student ran the best time during the preliminary rounds before taking the state title.
She was announced as state champion and her name was received with a mixture of cheers and boos.
The races took place in Eugene, Oregon, in the same stadium that hosts the U.S. Championships and Olympic Trials.
A transgender teen athlete was booed as she was crowned state champion of the Oregon Girls’ 6A 200-meter race
Aayden Gallagher won by two tenths of a second and was also laughed at when she crossed the finish line on Saturday
Gallagher stormed to victory in the 200m final on Saturday and stood alongside six other girls when the results were announced.
She was declared the state champion by the stadium announcer, but her name was received with a mixture of boos and cheers.
It comes after she won her heat for the 400m race on Friday with a time of 55.25 seconds.
Her performance earned her one of the five places, but she narrowly lost in the final by 0.15 seconds.
The tenth grader finished second overall in both heats, behind Josie Donelson, who won her heat to narrowly propel her into first place with a time of 55.04, Athletic Live reported.
Sophie Castaneda was in third place overall and second behind Gallagher with a time of 55.65 seconds, according to the outlet.
In a clip shared online, cheering could be heard in the background as Gallagher crossed the finish line in the heat on Friday.
Even before the victory, her participation in the race was criticized by Republican lawmakers, who called for a regulation change after Gallagher claimed a victory in the 400 meters in an earlier race.
Gallagher stormed to victory in the 200m final on Saturday and stood alongside six other girls as the results were announced
It comes after she won her heat for the 400m race on Friday with a time of 55.25 seconds
The controversy flared again after footage of Gallagher’s most recent race was shared by Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who has campaigned against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Gaines claimed that Gallagher “dominated” her most recent heat on Friday and asked, “When will we see coaches and parents stand up to this mockery?”
Oregon State Activities Association rules allow athletes to compete in a category that aligns with their gender identity without having to provide proof of medical transition.
The controversy flared again after footage of Gallagher’s most recent race was shared by Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer who is campaigning against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Gaines claimed that the student who finished second in the 200-meter race was the rightful winner of the state championship.
The campaigner previously drew attention to Gallagher when she shared a video of the sophomore riding to victory in a race at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic last month.
Gaines became an anti-trans activist after finishing tied for fifth with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at a 2022 swimming meet. However, Thomas was presented with the trophy to Gaines.
The Kentucky swimmer has since joined forces with a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing Thomas to compete.
OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber has defended the organization’s trans-inclusive policies.
“Oregon law has long prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” he wrote in a letter to his critics.
“In 2019, the Oregon Department of Education changed the rules from defining “sexual orientation” to include “gender identity.” The Oregon Legislature also changed the definition of “sexual orientation” to include “gender identity.”
