Two “transgender” cyclists took the top spots at a women’s race in Chicago this week, according to a report from Daily Mail.
Reportedly, Tessa Johnson, 25, and Evelyn Williamson, 30, placed first and second, respectively, at the Chicago Cyclocross Cup on October 7.
In the women’s SingleSpeed race, Johnson won the gold medal and Williamson won silver, with only one biological female, Allison Zmuda, on the podium, winning bronze.
Johnson reportedly placed first in another race, where he won $150 in prize money. In that same race, Williamson placed fourth and won $75.
The organizers of the event reportedly welcome transgender athletes (via Daily Mail):
On their website, the Chicago CrossCup said they welcome transgender athletes and that they follow USA Cycling’s Transgender Athlete Participation policies, which allows participants in non-elite races to self-select their gender.
The race organisers said: 'The CCC has always been first and foremost about fostering a positive & supportive community built around competitive CycloCross racing, and that means welcoming and challenging everyone who wants to contribute to the series and make it better.'
They noted: 'Discrimination or harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, sportsball team affiliation, or any other stupid idea someone comes up with to belittle others will not be tolerated.'
Williamson and Johnson won the Racing-Athletic Relay Cross in Chicago on August 27 - competing under the team name 'TS-ESTRODOLLS' in reference to the female hormone estrogen.
Transgender cyclists take gold AND silver medals at Chicago women's race, as critics insist pair had considerable biological advantage over female rivals https://t.co/qiDRxknw14 pic.twitter.com/b2hsIiCxCO
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) October 13, 2023
Williamson reportedly competed in both men’s and women’s categories at the Sky Express Winter Criterium in March 2020, where he won first place racing against women. Predictably, Williamson did not place in the men’s category.
Both Daily Mail and Outkick reported that Williamson is in a “throuple” relationship with Austin Killips, another biological male cyclist who thinks he’s a woman. Townhall previously reported how Killips won a women’s race in North Carolina, beating the second-place finisher by five minutes. Before this, Townhall covered how Killips took home the overall win in the women’s category in the Tour of the Gila race in New Mexico.
Breaking News:
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 1, 2023
MAN wins WOMENS Prize 🏆 pic.twitter.com/0Kp6J5GvRe
After competing against Killips, female cycling champion Hannah Arensmen left her sport, citing transgender athletes as the reason why.
“A guy, even if mediocre in the men’s field, is more than capable of breaking records and making podiums in women’s races,” she reportedly said.
“This is not fair sport, and the governing bodies, who should have made the rules at the beginning, need to realize it. The very people who should be protecting our sport are not doing so.”
The issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports made headlines after Will “Lia” Thomas, a male, began competing against women on the University of Pennsylvania’s swim team. Thomas made women feel uncomfortable in their own locker room and robbed them of awards and opportunities.