Two female-identifying males won top spots in a cycling competition in Chicago, sparking criticism and calls to protect women’s sports.
Two males who identify as female won the top two spots in a women’s cycling race in Chicago, becoming the latest example of men dominating sports competitions meant to be exclusive to women.
Tessa Johnson, a man who identifies as a woman, took home gold medals in both the Women’s Single Speed and Cat Half categories on Oct. 7 at the Chicago CycloCross Cup (CCC) race.
Evelyn Williamson, also a biological male identifying as female, won silver in the women’s Single Speed category at the same competition—while placing fourth in the Cat Half race, according to results shared by the CCC account on X and on the USA Cycling website.
This left just one biological woman on the podium for the Single Speed race—Allison Zmuda.
“Today male racers Tessa (Michael) Johnson and Evelyn Williamson once again proved they are GREAT at women’s cyclocross at Jackson Park in Chicago,” the @i_heart_bikes account posted on X, featuring victory photos of the athletes standing on the podium.
The post drew a number of critical reactions online, with one commenter quipping that “women in sports will become obsolete at this rate.”
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The CycloCross Cup took place at Jackson Park in Chicago from Oct. 7 and 8 and included more than a dozen different competitions for junior athletes—as well as men and women.
By Tom Ozimek
