sport news Former GB Olympian Sharron Davies condemns transgender runner Cece Telfer's ... trends now
Former Olympic medal winner Sharron Davies has hit out at transgender athletes competing in women's sports after an image of trans athlete Cece Telfer participating in a women's hurdles race was posted online.
Telfer, who previously competed as a man, became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) title back in 2019 and was running in the Women's Invitational 60m Hurdles in Boston in February.
She had qualified for the final of the event, finishing fifth in the preliminary races, but would reportedly go on to disqualify herself during the deciding race. The incendiary issue of transgender participation in female sports has sparked much debate in the past few years, with multiple former athletes, including tennis great Martina Navratilova and two-time Olympic gold medalist Daley Thompson voicing their concerns on the debate.
Davies, a former swimmer who won silver in the 1980 400m medley at the Moscow Olympics, is another who has been outspoken on trans athletes participating in women's sports. On Sunday, she reacted to an image of Telfer which was posted online that showed her preparing to run at the event in Boston.
Davies wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'Spot the male athlete in the women's race! It's simply cheating.'
Former Olympian Sharron Davies has called transgender athletes competing in women's sports 'cheating'
Images of trans athlete Cece Telfer participating at a women's event were posted online
Davies wrote on X (formerly Twitter ): 'Spot the male athlete in the women's race! It's simply cheating.'
A video was also posted of Telfer preparing for the race, with the sprinter seen jumping up and down and loosening her joints while stood at the starting blocks.
Several other X users had also reacted to the images, with ICONS, (the Independent Council on Women's Sports) also writing: 'Male runner, Cece Telfer, displaced collegiate women in the finals of a women's invitational meet in Boston last month.
'Telfer, the first openly trans-identifying male to win a women's NCAA national title in the 400m hurdles (2019), ran unattached. After bumping a female athlete out of the finals, he later disqualified himself during the race.'
Davies has previously faced backlash from transgender activists who have reportedly targeted her children's school after she spoke out against the participation of trans athletes in women's sports.
The 61-year-old, who has attended 12 Olympic games as a competitor and a broadcaster, backed the decision to prevent transgender cyclist Emily Bridges from racing against female riders. Bridges had been at the centre of a debate following her attempts to cycle against female athletes last year.
Speaking to LBC, Davies said: 'I don't think Emily Bridges should be allowed to compete with women. I think she should be allowed to compete, absolutely, and it's really important we make all sport inclusive.
Telfer previously became the first openly trans athlete to win an NCAA title in 2019
Telfer had competed as part of the Franklin Pierce University's men's track and field teams between 2016 and 2017
'However, having a female category and an open category enables everyone to do sport fairly. What sort of message are we sending to young girls if we say to them that males are due and worthy of fair sport, but females are not worthy of fair sport. What sort of message is that for any young aspiring athlete?'
On March 31, 2023, World Athletics voted to ban transgender women from competing in female international athletic events.
The decision was made to 'prioritise fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion.' The new rules state that transgender athletes are only eligible to compete in the women's disciplines if they did not experience any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later.'
'The council has agreed to exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female world ranking competitions from March 31 this year,' Lord Sebastian Coe said last year.
Speaking on In an interview with CNN Sport Telfer had admitted that the regulation changes had been 'devastating'.
'The overriding feeling was definitely devastation for myself and for many around the world,' she said in reaction to the rule changes, which effectively ended any hopes she had of competing at the Paris Olympics later this year.
Telfer, who was previously a student at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire, first competed as part of the university's men's track and field teams between 2016 and 2017. After beginning transition, she subsequently qualified for the NCAA Women's Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2019.
Telfer has insisted that being biologically male doesn't provide her with an advantage
'The overriding feeling was definitely devastation for myself and for many around the world,' Telfer said in reaction to the World Athletics recent ruling on transgender athletes
Cece Telfer is set to release her memoirs later this year. In the book she recounts the inspiring story of how she became the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA title
'I’m still going to keep pursuing my dreams and keep competing and keep running as much as I can, wherever I can, however I can,' she added.
'To throw that all away – my life of training will be for nothing. I’m going to keep doing what I have to do and show my
