Transgender runner repeats as Washington high school (WIAA) state track and field champion

East Valley of Spokane's Veronica Garcia wins 2A girls 400-meter dash again Saturday in Tacoma - amid boos and protests

East Valley of Spokane transgender runner Veronica Garcia wins Class 2A girls 400-meter dash for second time Saturday in Tacoma. / Photo by Joshua Hart

Amid spectator boos and jeers, and fellow student-athletes' protests, East Valley of Spokane transgender senior Veronica Garcia accomplished what she set out to do - win another Class 2A girls 400-meter dash at the WIAA championships in Tacoma.

As the defending champion, Garcia led from near-start to finish Saturday afternoon in winning the race in 55.70 seconds at Mount Tahoma Stadium.

League rival Lauren Matthew, of West Valley of Spokane, finished second at 56.75. Cedarcrest's Lydia Swenson was third at 57.72.

And yet, what should've been a joyous occasion for any repeat state-meet winner, Garcia was met by a wave of loud boss and leave-girls-sports-to-girls remarks from spectators sitting in the grandstands and standing around the infield fences, according to observers.

On the awards' stand afterward, a couple the podium finishers refused to share the spotlight with Garcia as the event champion.

Another group of competing athletes wore T-shirts that read, "Keep Women's Sports Female."

After Garcia finished her day in the girls' 4x400 relay, she spoke to a group of media members, including reporters from the (Spokane) Spokesman-Review, (Vancouver) Columbian, The Seattle Times and the (Tacoma) News Tribune.

“I’m really proud of myself,” Garcia told reporters. “I did what I came to do, and that’s good enough for me.”

For nearly two decades, the WIAA has allowed transgender students to compete in athletics, and in the gender-specific divisions in which they identify personally.

In other words, Garcia broke no rules Saturday. But that didn't stop the loud sirens of disapproval shown by others in the stadium.

“I’ll be honest, I kind of expect it,” Garcia told reporters. “But it maybe didn’t have their intended effect. It made me angry, but not angry as in, 'I wanted to give up,' but angry as in, 'I’m going to push.'"

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