Trans long jumper AB Hernandez bests California girls in prestigious competition

AB Hernandez, a senior at Jurupa Valley High School, placed first in the long jump, with a jump of 20 feet, three inches, and the triple jump, with a jump of 42 feet, six inches. The result in the triple jump was nearly a foot and a half more than the second-place finisher. Hernandez also placed third in the high jump with 5 feet, eight inches.

In an interview following the meet, Hernandez was asked about the triple jump finish, a personal best for the athlete. "I think it’s really huge. I know I wanted to come out and come out big, and being able to do it, my first attempt, was just astronomically amazing, you know, like, it just felt so surreal and I saw the jump and I was just like, that was it."

Hernandez added regarding triple jump being the final event he competed in, "I think I just really honed in on what I needed to do and just really mentally prepare myself because I knew it was gonna be hard, and just like, push myself a little extra. I’ve been like, struggling a little bit this season but, this meet just really showed that I can just push through and I can continue to do that hopefully next weekend as well, so it’s awesome."

The Arcadia Invitational is a prestigious national high school track meet that takes place every spring in California and is touted as the "home of national records." The meet has resulted in 36 national records and 203 US Olympians.

Mons for Liberty wrote in the wake of the meet, "At the Arcadia Invitational in Southern California—one of the most prestigious high school track meets in the nation—a male athlete competing in the girls’ division took 1st place in both the long jump and triple jump, and 3rd in high jump. These are opportunities female athletes train for their entire lives. Scholarships, recognition, and records are on the line. Parents across the country are asking a simple question: how is this fair to girls?"

Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics, noted how Hernandez’s performance would stack up against the male field. "Last year, the top national boys’ long jump was 25’3” by Neale Johnson. The 50-100 rankings sit between 23-6 and 24-0. AB gets nowhere near the top 100 in boys. Not even close."