US cyclocross champion reveals she retired from sport over emergence of transgender athletes in women's sports

Hannah Arensman, a 35-time winner on the national cyclocross circuit, revealed in an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court last week that she retired from the sport after finishing in fourth place in between two transgender females.

The brief was filed in support of the state of West Virginia and its Save Women’s Sports law. The legislation seeks to keep transgender student-athletes at all level of competition to play against those with the same biological gender instead of the gender they identify as. A preliminary injunction dissolved in January when a federal judge ruled the law did not violate Title IX protections but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to reinstate a preliminary injunction.

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Arensman was one of 67 athletes, coaches and family members who called on the Supreme Court to vacate the preliminary injunction. In the brief, Arensman said she had retired from the sport and cited an incident at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in December.

"I was born into a family of athletes. Encouraged by my parents and siblings, I competed in sports from a young age, and I followed in my sister’s footsteps, climbing the ranks to become an elite cyclocross racer," her message read. "Over the past few years, I have had to race directly with male cyclists in women’s events. As this has become more of a reality, it has become increasingly discouraging to train as hard as I do only to have to lose to a man with the unfair advantage of an androgenized body that intrinsically gives him an obvious advantage over me, no matter how hard I train.

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 "I have decided to end my cycling career. At my last race at the recent UCI Cyclocross National Championships in the elite women’s category in December 2022, I came in 4th place, flanked on either side by male riders awarded 3rd and 5th places. My sister and family sobbed as they watched a man finish in front of me, having witnessed several physical interactions with him throughout the race.

"Additionally, it is difficult for me to think about the very real possibility I was overlooked for an international selection on the US team at Cyclocross Worlds in February 2023 because of a male competitor.

"Moving forward, I feel for young girls learning to compete and who are growing up in a day when they no longer have a fair chance at being the new record holders and champions in cycling because men want to compete in our division. I have felt deeply angered, disappointed, overlooked, and humiliated that the rule makers of women’s sports do not feel it is necessary to protect women’s sports to ensure fair competition for women anymore."

Austin Killips finished in third place in the race and Jenna Lingwood finished in fifth place. Both athletes are transgender women competing against biological women in the events.

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Arensman had finished in the top five in her final seven races. According to Cross Results, she has 35 wins in her career.