Trans higher schooler places second in 200m girls varsity track in Oregon

On Saturday, a trans-identified male runner placed second in a 200m and 400m race at the Sherwood Need for Speed Classic in Sherwood, Oregon.

In a video posted to X by Reduxx, in the first heat, Sophmore Aayden Gallegher sped away from the girls and cruised to victory with an overall time of 25.49 seconds. In a later heat, Gallegher's time was beaten by winner Aster Jones.

In reaction to the video, the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) noted, "These record-setting high school male athletes will be rewarded with women’s collegiate roster spots and scholarships."

According to Athletic Live, Gallegher's run was enough for second place and the fifth fastest time ever run in the state's girls 200m. The first-place finisher, Aster Jones, ran the 200m in 24.43 seconds, which is just shy of the state record of 24.34 seconds.

In the 400m race, Gallegher also nearly set a new state record coming in second place with a time of 55.61. This was the fourth fastest time ever run in the Oregon girls' 400m and was over two seconds faster than the third-place finisher. Winner Ellis Heslam ran the third fastest time in the 400m with a time of 55.47.

In comparison, Gallegher's 200m time would have earned 61st place among the male athletes and 46th in the 400m.

In a 2023 interview with the Oracle, Gallegher spoke out against legislation being passed across the country to prevent minors from obtaining sex changes. “I feel like it’ll make me a lot more confident.”

"Right now I’m just going to keep on getting more and more masculine," the teen continued. "More facial hair, stuff like that. And I don’t want that. Estrogen and other hormones and getting vocal training would make me a lot happier and more confident.”

In recent years, trans-identified athletes have become more prominent, while several states and sports bodies have banned male athletes from competing in female sports.

In March, 16 current and former college athletes filed a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for violating Title IX's guarantee of equal opportunity for males and females in college education and sports.