Trans athlete WINS women’s 1,500m event in Canada

A trans woman‘s victory in a 1,500m running event in Canada has added fuel to the debate around trans women competing in women’s sports.

Tiffany Newell, 50, placed first in the W50 1,500m, which is open to women aged 50 to 54, at the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in Toronto, which took place over the weekend.

While only one other person in that age group competed, Newell has repeatedly placed first in women’s events, and has set global records in her age category, since transitioning in 2017.

The recent victory, with a time of 05:07.611, comes amid fierce debate globally about whether trans women should be allowed to compete in female categories in sports. Evidence has shown that trans women who haver been through male puberty maintain their physical advantage even after treatment to lower testosterone levels.

Several state legislatures across America have introduced bills designed to prevent trans women competing against women in sports.

Tiffany Newell (left) has won several events – and scooped some records – since she transitioned in 2017

Her success at the recent Canadian Masters Indoor Championships was highlighted by the International Consortium on Female Sport, a campaign group which lobbies for protected categories in sport for biological women

Newell was racing at the 12th Canadian Masters Indoor Championships. Results show that the other competitor in the W50 category, Catherin Weber, finished with a time of 06:19.358.

Last year, Newell set a new Canadian record in the 5,000m in the women’s 45-49 age category with a time of 18:02:30. Canadian Masters Athletics ratified the time as a record under the World Athletics policy for trans athletes.

The policy states the athlete must provide a signed declaration that confirms their gender identity and also demonstrate that the concentration of testosterone in their blood serum has been less than 5 nanomoles per liter continuously for a period of at least 12 months.

Some critics have suggested an open category to run alongside those for biological men and women, but Newell has previously said she doesn’t support the idea.

‘The policy makes sense for non-binary athletes, but I don’t feel comfortable racing against men,’ she said.

‘It categorizes me in the sex I am not identified as. I am a woman, and I feel most comfortable racing against women or other transgender women.

‘I believe an open category can work if athletes can continue to race against athletes of the same gender.’

Newell’s success in her latest event was highlighted by the International Consortium on Female Sport, a campaign group which lobbies for protected categories in sport for biological women.

The ICFS pointed out that Newell’s 1,500m time was logged in the World Masters Rankings as the current number one for a women in the W50 category in 2023. No other times have yet been entered on the WMR website in that category this year.

The ICFS asked World Athletics and World Masters Athletics why it is not ‘protecting the integrity of the female category’ and claimed Newell’s entry was ‘blatant sex-discrimination’.

Supporters of the ICFS’s position said the competition was ‘wrong and unfair’. 

Former NFL star Marcellus Wiley recently spoke against transgender athletes in women’s sports

Trans swimmer Lia Thomas is a biological male & has caused controversy in NCAA Swimming

The participation of trans women in women’s competitions has become the subject of fierce debate in recent years, prompting many current and former professional athletes to take a stand in the debate.

Former NFL star Marcellus Wiley said earlier this month ‘it’s not right’ for transgender females to compete against biological women in sporting events.

The former FS1 personality highlighted how athletes such as swimmer Lia Thomas, one of the most high-profile trans athletes, have established themselves as top competitors in women’s categories. 

A Pro Bowl defensive-end in 2001, Wiley prefaced he has ‘no issue with transgender people’ but did take umbrage at them participating in female sports.

Retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova recently trans athletes ‘cheats’. Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, who competed as a man at the 1976 Olympics before she transitioned, said Thomas has ‘a tremendous advantage over girls’ she competes against.