Transgender athletes clinched a clean 1-2-3 sweep in an elite women's cycling event.
While some were happy to see the transgender athletes dominate the podium, other fans and female competitors were soured by their wins.
During the elite women's Madison at Washington's Marymore Grand Prix on Friday, each of the two-person teams that made it to the winners’ podium had a transgender athlete. This was the first time transgender women managed to get a place on all the three 1-2-3 spots on the podium in any of the event’s races, according to the Daily Mail.
Highlights
- Transgender athletes clinched a clean 1-2-3 sweep in an elite women's cycling event at Washington's Marymore Grand Prix.
- Jordan Lothrop, Jenna Lingwood, and Eva Lin were the transgender athletes that shared the podium after their wins.
- The venue, Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome, stated it will not tolerate bullying or derogatory comments related to gender identity and sexual orientation.
Athlete Jordan Lothrop was pictured proudly standing on the podium in first place. She previously raced against men in the Victoria Cycling League in her native Canada.
Transgender athletes proudly wore their medals at Washington's Marymore Grand Prix on Friday
Image credits: Jerry Baker Velodrome / Instagram
It was only last year when Jordan was ranked 22nd in the men's category.
Jenna Lingwood, who transitioned in 2017 and now competes with Oregon’s cyclo-cross squad Team S&M for women, secured second place.
A physics graduate from the University of Washington, Jenna balances her racing career with her job at Intel as a Supply Chain R&D engineer.
The bronze medal was claimed by Eva Lin, a former San Jose State men’s team racer who transitioned in 2022 to the women’s team.
Not all netizens were pleased with the athletes on the podium, with one saying, "There was no Women's Madison at the Marymoor Grand Prix"
“This is so egregious I can't imagine how people watched this happen and thought this was ok,” one person commented on the sight of the heavily built athletes standing on the podium after Friday’s event.
“There was no Women's Madison at the Marymoor Grand Prix,” said another. “If men are racing against women it's an Open event.”
Another wrote, “Right. Cause that additional FOOT of height, stronger legs, greater lung capacity and increased overall stamina (just to name a few obvious advantages couldn’t have *possibly* made a difference…”
Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome, the venue that hosted the race, said it won’t tolerate "bullying or derogatory comments" related to gender identity and sexual orientation
Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome, the venue that hosted the race, said it won’t tolerate “bullying or derogatory comments especially related to race, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability.”
“We pride ourselves on being an inclusive track and are following the USA Cycling rules when it comes to transgender participation,” they added.
As per the new rules introduced by USA Cycling in January, transgender athletes competing in top events must undergo “elite athlete fairness evaluations.” They are required to prove that their testosterone levels are below the stipulated range.
However, athletes participating at the amateur level are only expected to complete a self-identity verification request. A USA Cycling Technical Director will then evaluate the request.