Trans runner snatches high school competition title in Washington
Veronica Garcia, a male identifying as a female, competed and won the Washington state title in the 2A girls’ 400-meter race for a second year in a row.
Garcia reportedly said, 'I’m very proud of myself,' telling his critics that he hopes they 'get a life.'
A transgender-identifying athlete from East Valley High School in Washington recently took the state title in the girl’s 2A 400-meter race for the second year in a row.
On May 31, 17-year-old Veronica Garcia—a boy who identifies as a girl—won with a time of 55.70 seconds, beating second-place female finisher Lauren Matthew by over an entire second.
Garcia reportedly said, “I’m very proud of myself,” telling his critics that he hopes they “get a life.”
“I’m going to put this in the most PG-13 way, I’m just going to say it’s a damn shame they don’t have anything else better to do,” he noted.
A Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) spokesperson told Campus Reform that “the WIAA continues to proudly represent the 225,000+ student-participants across the state.”
The spokesperson cited Washington state law, which “aligns with WIAA Handbook Rule 18.16.0, allowing participation that remains consistent with gender identity.”
Women’s sports activist Riley Gaines praised Lauren Matthew as the “real state champ,” posting a picture of the winner on social media platform X.
Update from Lauren Matthew, the real state champ!🏆
XX≠XY https://t.co/XvC9iVbu4S pic.twitter.com/RHoh44uJYO— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 31, 2025
[RELATED: Northern Michigan University holds ‘family-friendly’ drag show]
In an interview with Fox News, basketball player Jonathan Isaac showed support for Lauren Matthew—stating that in order to side with the transgender-identifying athletes, he would “have to trample over the feelings of women.”
Garcia’s “win” comes just as a male high school athlete won first place in multiple girls’ events in California. The athlete, named A.B. Hernandez, took top awards in both the high jump and triple jump competitions at a state championship, just after Education Secretary Linda McMahon denounced the state’s gender ideology policies.
