
Team USA World Masters track athlete Cynthia Monteleone said she was advised to keep quiet after she raised concerns over a fair playing field when competing against transgender athletes.
“Words can’t describe how I felt walking up to that starting line in Spain next to a biological male-bodied athlete,” Monteleone told Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenns., in an interview first obtained by Fox News ahead of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The track athlete faced her first encounter in competing against a biologically born male during the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships in Málaga, Spain, when she ran against Yanelle Del Mar Zape, a transgender athlete from Colombia in a 400-meter race.
Monteleone asked officials on the field why there was a “male-bodied athlete” in her meet.
“The European officials were actually very sympathetic, and they stopped the meet,” she described. The track star said the officials conferred with one another but then advised her that she needed to address her concerns with Team USA after the meet.
Monteleone beat Zape by a few tenths of a second, but immediately following the race she approached Team USA Track and Field to express her concerns.
“They told me: ‘For your own safety you should probably keep your mouth shut’,” she told the senator in her Facebook Live show, “Unmuted with Martha.”
The track athlete questioned the “psychological trauma” that cisgender female competitors — females who identify with the sex they were biologically born as — suffer when faced with the prospect of competing against someone who was born biologically male.
“I don’t believe in keeping quiet about something that is so grossly unfair,” she added.
Monteleone explained that not only is there a physical toll when training to be a champion, but sacrifices also have to be made when it comes to friends and family.
But the Hawaii track star has another reason to be angry with the physical advantages biological males have over cis female athletes — her daughter shares her dream of competing on the track.
Monteleone explained that in her very first meet at the high school level, her daughter, then in the ninth grade, was forced to compete with a transgender athlete.
“She had to line up for her very first race, after training all year, along a biological male,” Monteleone said, describing how the trans athlete had only trained for two weeks but “blew everybody away in the first 100 meters.”
“So she came in second,” Monteleone said. “And you know what’s at stake are things that are important: prize money, scholarships, awards.”
“She deserved to win. She put in the work. But she had no chance because of the biological advantage of this male-bodied athlete,” she added.
President Biden on his first day in office issued an executive order that said student-athletes should compete under the sex they identify as.
The decision has prompted a tug-of-war over how to fairly implement a policy that allows transgender athletes to compete without striping women and girls of their rights under Title IX.
“We’ve warned of this — this is the end of female sports,” Monteleone said. “Unfortunately the current administration is putting a nail in the coffin.”
“Let’s have compassion for everyone,” Monteleone said. “But with the policies that have been given, they are excluding female athletes — biological females.
“I would encourage all females to stand up and think about that word brave. Have that courage and focus on what’s at stake for the future,” she added. “The bottom line is female-bodied athletes deserve their chance for accolades and awards and scholarships.”
Yep and the liberal females that wanted to have them join are now being shown the true facts. Something liberals know nothing about. If all the women get together and boycot or don’t race what are they going to do? Fight for your rights ladies!!!!!
They have no choice but to fix the problem if you ban together!
The women having to compete against biological and actual men will become fair – eventually – until then – ladies – work to STOMP them into the track – YOU can do it!!! We have overcome these things for GENERATIONS and have proved us correct!!! Realize that you too are going to “show them” for the benefit of your children & grandchildren!!! We’ve done it before in other venues!!!
“Will become fair”. When ??? This is unjust and unfair and should be dealt with now. Girls and women should not have to compete against males. Period.
Your messsge sounds like a good pep talk but it should not be happening.
2 sexes = 2 races. Come up with extra races for others. I don’t mean to sound prejudice, but I don’t want to see females being eliminated.
Every single female should train hard, be totally prepared to win and when lined up at the start line for the competition in whatever event you are prepared to participate in; simply stand up totally erect and walk off the field. When questioned, read a pre-arranged statement explaining, in full detail, the complete problem with trans competition.
Observing the blatant unfairness of women competing against trannies, may I suggest that the women refuse to compete. Show up to the start line but when the gun goes off, just stand up straight and watch him run all by his lonesome. The spineless woke officials and sponsors will eventually get the message that women don’t want to compete with men. They want to compete with REAL women. Go woke, go broke.