Trans track athlete wins varsity girls competition after previously placing last against JV boys: report

Transgender Athlete Secures Victory in High School High Jump Competition

An athlete who identifies as transgender achieved first place in a varsity high jump event at a high school competition in Oregon on Wednesday. This victory comes approximately two years after the same athlete finished last while participating in junior varsity boys’ competitions, according to reports.

Athlete Lia Rose Wins Portland Interscholastic League Title

Lia Rose, previously known as Zachary, reportedly triumphed in the high jump at the Portland Interscholastic League Varsity Relays. She cleared a height of 4 feet, 8 inches, surpassing the second-place competitor by two inches.

Past Athletic Performance Records

Data from athletic.net indicates that while competing in JV boys’ events on May 3, 2023, Zachary Rose concluded in 11th place out of 11 participants with a jump of 4 feet, 6 inches.

The winning jump height in that particular event was notably one foot higher.

Transition in Competition Category

Publicly available records show Zachary Rose competing in boys’ events during 2023. In the subsequent year, 2024, Lia Rose also participated within the same boys’ category. However, this year, official listings placed Lia Rose in girls’ competitions.

In 2024, Lia Rose primarily competed against JV boys, achieving a highest placement of second and a personal best jump of 5 feet.

Zachary Rose’s sophomore track season included a second-place finish in a JV 3,000-meter race, albeit in a field of only two athletes, where Zachary finished significantly behind the other runner by over a minute.

Personal Best Achieved

Lia Rose’s recent 4-foot, 8-inch jump is documented as a “personal record.”

District Response Regarding Athlete Identity

A representative for Portland Public Schools declined to either confirm or deny whether Lia and Zachary Rose are the same individual, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) designed “to safeguard student privacy.”

Context of Transgender Athletes in Competition

This victory for Lia Rose follows approximately two weeks after Ada Gallagher, another transgender track athlete in the Portland vicinity, dominated a recent competition.

Gallagher, a state champion from the previous year, completed the 400 meters in 57.62 seconds. Kinnaly Souphanthong from Franklin High School finished second at 1 minute, 5.72 seconds, and Gallagher’s teammate, Quinnan Schaefer, trailed behind Souphanthong at 1 minute, 7.13 seconds.

Gallagher’s Performance in 200-Meter Race

In the 200-meter race, Gallagher secured first place with a time of 25.76 seconds, ahead of teammate Addyson Skyles who finished at 27.31 seconds.

Both recorded times for Gallagher represented her season’s best performance.