Caitlyn Jenner expressed her dissatisfaction after a transgender teenager finished second in a Meet of Champions girls race in California over the weekend.
Athena Ryan, a junior at Sonoma Academy, finished second in the varsity girls 1,600-meter run finals on Saturday in the sectional meet of champions, behind Hanne Thomsen of Montgomery and ahead of Ellie Buckley of Campolindo. Ryan will advance to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Track & Field Championships next week.
Jenner, a former Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, tweeted her opinion on the matter, saying, "As somewhat of a track star myself, and a trans person, THIS IS WRONG!!! HELP ME PUSH BACK!" She also added, "And FYA trans ppl you are being used by the radical gender ideology cult as political pawns. Thats all you are to them."
Ryan, however, seemed unfazed by the controversy and was pleased with the performance, finishing with a time of 4:55.91. "I wasnt expecting that. I dropped like 17 seconds on my seasons best in the past two weeks," Ryan told MileSplit after the race. "After last weekend, I didnt think I could run low 5s again. I was just coming here trying to break 5 just glad I finished it out."
Ryan also expressed his excitement for the upcoming event, saying he hoped to "have fun" at the CIF State Track & Field Championships. Ryan finished sixth in the 1,600-meter preliminary race and 21st in the girls 800-meter preliminaries.
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