California championship track meet forces trans athlete to share top podium spot with female

AB Hernandez, a trans student at Jurupa Valley HS, beats Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran HS to be named co-champ of the girls' high jump at the CIF Southern Section Championship Finals in Moorpark, Calif., on May 16, 2026. (Credit: Fox News Digital)

A division championship track and field meet in California saw a trans athlete share first place in three events with female competitors, despite winning each event by large margins.

Trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School took first place in long jump, high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section finals in Division 3.

Trans athlete AB Hernandez shares first place on a podium with a female athlete at the CIF Southern Section final in Moorpark, California on May 16, 2026. (Fox News Digital)

Then, during podium ceremonies, announcers declared that each event had two co-champions, including Hernandez. This was based on a rule enacted last year.

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Hernandez was absent for the first medal ceremony in long jump, as Moorpark High School's Gianna Gonzalez stood alone on the first-place podium despite finishing more than a foot behind Hernandez. Hernandez appeared to be warming up for the next event.

Hernandez later shared the top podium spot in high jump with Oak Park High School's Gwynneth Mureika, despite winning first place by two inches.

Then, after winning triple jump by nearly two feet over Malia Strange of Shadow Hills, Hernandez stood alone on the top spot, as Strange was absent.

Hernandez, now a Southern Section champion again, along with all the other winners will move onto the CIF preliminaries next Saturday to face the rest of the state's top female jumpers,