MxM News

My stolen victory: NCAA athlete demands justice after losing title to trans competitor

Quick Hit:

Minna Svärd, a former NCAA athlete, is calling for official corrections to past competitions where male-born athletes were allowed to compete in women’s divisions. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, she recounts how she lost an NCAA championship title to a transgender athlete and argues that fairness in women’s sports must be restored.

Key Details:

• Minna Svärd was placed second in the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s 400-meter hurdles behind CeCé Telfer, a biological male who previously competed in men’s athletics.

• She argues that “every time a male athlete enters a female competition, a woman gets cut from the roster to make room.”

• Svärd supports President Trump’s executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” but says it doesn’t go far enough in rectifying past injustices.

Diving Deeper:

Minna Svärd, an NCAA athlete from East Texas A&M University, has made a compelling case for correcting past injustices in women’s sports. In her Wall Street Journal op-ed titled My Stolen NCAA Championship, Svärd argues that the victories of female athletes like herself were unjustly taken when male-born competitors were allowed to enter women’s competitions. She writes, “That made me the first collegiate woman to be told her victory was worth less than a man’s feelings.”

Svärd recalls her experience at the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s 400-meter hurdles final, where she finished behind CeCé Telfer, a biological male who had previously competed in men’s track under the name Craig Telfer. “CeCé Telfer destroyed the women’s field and crossed the finish line almost two seconds before me,” she recounts. Telfer, who had ranked 390th in men’s competition, was suddenly a champion in the women’s division.

She underscores the inherent biological differences between male and female athletes, noting that “men have enormous athletic advantages over women, which is why women’s hurdles are 9 inches shorter than men’s.” In the world of competitive sports, these advantages translate to significant performance disparities. “Olympic gold-medal-winning times for men’s 400-meter hurdlers are about five seconds faster than for women,” she points out, highlighting the competitive gap that remains despite hormone therapy or identity changes.

Beyond losing a title, Svärd also faced a backlash for speaking out. She waited a year before expressing her frustration on social media, only to be labeled a “transphobe” and endure online harassment. Meanwhile, Telfer was celebrated in mainstream media, including a New York Times magazine profile, and pursued an Olympic dream that ended in 2021 after failing a testosterone test.

Telfer running away from the pack in the 400 M Hurdles Womens Finals, 2019

Svärd praises President Trump’s recent executive order, which seeks to bar biological males from competing in women’s sports. However, she insists this move alone is insufficient. “The official results of past competitions should be corrected to align with reality. Male competitors should be removed and the rank of affected women increased accordingly,” she asserts.

While she doesn’t expect media accolades for her stance, Svärd remains proud of her rightful place in NCAA history. “In 2019, I was the fastest female 400-meter hurdler at any NCAA Division II school. It’s been five years since that honor was stolen from me. I want it back,” she declares.