Meet 29 trans women who won state, national or international championships

With so much public conversation about trans athletes in women’s sports, a post by trans advocate Schuyler Bailar — a trailblazing former NCAA athlete — claiming in 2022 that three trans women who have ever won national or international competitions in the women’s category “don’t exist.”

To be sure, this list goes beyond 2022. Yet even at that time, Bailar’s claim was simply not true.

Off the top of my head I could name several trans athletes who had won major championships. And some digging has found over two dozen trans women (updated to May 2025) who have earned national or international victories.

No out trans woman has won an Olympic medal in the women’s category (Canadian soccer player Quinn is nonbinary).

While the number is higher now, way more than just “three” trans women had won titles in 2022, debunking Bailar’s false claim at the time.

There are also at least two trans women Outsports knows of who are not publicly out who have won female titles. As Outsports does not out people against their will, we are withholding their names.

Still, many more than two trans women have won national or international competitions, with others doing very well, including state and regional titles.

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Here over two dozen out trans women who have won national or international competitions — all competing within the rules — in the women’s category.

And if we missed anyone, please do let us know.

Related

Trans athlete repeats as state champion and tells anti-trans detractors to ‘Get a life!’
Veronica Garcia, the first high school trans athlete to win a title in Washington state, was subjected to boos and responded in kind.

Katheryn Phillips

Kate Phillips won the 2025 USA Cycling national championship in the women’s masters 55-59 year ol category.

Veronica Garcia

Veronica Garcia won back-to-back state high school championships in Washington in the 400-meter run. She told anti-trans detractors after the state meet to “Get a life.”

Ana Caldas

Trans swimmer Ana Caldas won five national championships in swimming in the women’s 45-49 age category. Her margins of victory have shocked a lot of people, as she won by margins rarely seen in swimming.

AB Hernandez

AB Hernandez, a trans girl competing in girls track and field in California, blew away the competition at the Ontario Relays invitational, beating the second-place finisher by 8 feet, a shocking margin. It was about the same margin from second place to 13th place, which was last.

Aayden Gallagher

Aayden Gallagher won a high school girls track and field state championship in Oregon in the 200-meter race.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Van Leuven won the darts competition at her PDC Challenge Tour debut. Since then, some fellow darts players have spoken out against her inclusion in the sport, while her governing body stands by her.

Tiffany Abreu

The volleyball player was a big part of the team that won the 2022 Brazilian Cup. In 2025, at age 40, she won multiple major titles with her club, Osasco. Abreu came out several years earlier, stating she wanted to play in the Olympics. She was not selected by Brazil to compete in Tokyo.

Molly Cameron

Cameron won the female category of the three-day Cascade Gravel Grinder in 2023.

JayCee Cooper

Cooper won the women’s 2019 national championship for bench press in the super heavyweight division.

Michelle Dumaresq

Michelle Dumaresq had fits and starts competing in the women’s category about two decades ago. Ultimately she won the right to compete and won the 2003 Canadian National Championships in downhill mountain biking. @michelledumaresq1

Laurel Hubbard

The Olympic weightlifter won two Oceania Championships and two Commonwealth Championships, amongst many gold medals she won during her competition years, adding a World Masters Games title in 2017, when she won a silver in the World Championships.

Jamie Hunter

The billiards player won her first major ranking event when she took the 2022 US Women’s Snooker Open title.

Veronica Ivy

Ivy is a two-time masters world champion, notably winning the 2018 UCI World Masters Track Cycling Championships in her age category. Ivy was quickly denounced with hateful social-media messages. She continues to weather that criticism, and she has been a vocal proponent of trans inclusion in sports. @drveronicaivy

Austin Killips

Killips won the female New Mexico’s Tour of the Gila in May 2023. UCI shortly after announced they were re-examining their trans-athlete policy.

Lana Lawless

In 2008, Lawless won the Long Drivers of America competition, hitting a 254-yard drive against a strong headwind wind in the final round, winning a $12,500 prize.

Jenna Lingwood

Jenna Lingwood won the 40-44 Masters championship at the 2022 USA Cyclocross Nationals in Connecticut.

Victoria Monaghan

Monaghan won the New Zealand Open darts championship in 2022 and is the first out trans woman to compete in the World Championships. She was previously a ranked national player in the male category.

Tiffany Newell

Newell won the women’s 45-49 Canadian indoor 5,000-meter race, setting a national record along the way, in 2022

Valentina Petrillo

Petrillo has won multiple Italian national championships both before and after transitioning. She had hoped to compete in the Tokyo Paralympics but was barred due to a change in classification. @valentina_petrillo

Wren Pyle

Pyle won the 2022 USA Skimo 2022 National Championship in the women’s U23 Sprint.

Natalie Ryan

Ryan won two major competitions in Professional Disc Golf Association’s elite tier in 2022, including the MVP Open. @natalieryan114560

Sadie Schreiner

Rochester Institute of Technology sprinter Sadie Schreiner won the 2024 Atlantic Region Outdoor 200-meter title. She also won multiple Liberty League championships.

Juniper Simonis

The roller derby athlete has won multiple World Championships with the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. She was featured on The Trans Sporter Room podcast in 2019.

CeCé Telfer

Telfer won the Division II NCAA championship in the 400-meter hurdles as a senior at Franklin Pierce University in 2019. She was named Outsports’ Female Athlete of the Year that year. @cecetelfer

Lia Thomas

The University of Pennsylvania swimmer won a national NCAA Division I title in the 500 freestyle and made it to the final heat of the 100-free and 200-free.

Natalie van Gogh

Natalie van Gogh won the Trofee Maarten Wynants in 2015. The race is an international competition in Belgium. She finished top-10 in various other national and international competitions. @nvgogh

Terry Miller

At the state level, Terry Miller won high school state titles in Connecticut — with fellow trans girl Andraya Yearwood finishing second — and also won regional New England championships.

Kate Weatherly

Mountain biker Kate Weatherly has won two national titles, including the downhill race in the New Zealand national championships in February 2018 and another race title in 2022. @kateweatherlymtb

Chelsea Wolfe

The BMX rider won a UCI USA BMX Freestyle event in Texas in 2022, shortly after the state advanced anti-trans policy. @chelseawolfebmx

Other athletes in the conversation

Also of note is Australian trans handball player Hannah Mouncey. While she didn’t win a national or international competition that we’re aware of, the trans woman was named to Australia’s national handball team and competed internationally.

Renee Richards made it to the final of the U.S. Open in the women’s doubles category in 1977. Pro golfer Mianne Bagger won regional titles in Australia but never won a tournament championship after joining the women’s pro tour.

Caroline Layt was part of a 4×200-meter team that set an Australian national record.

There are various other successful trans women who may not have won a “championship” or, including MMA fighter Fallon Fox, who won a couple bouts but lost in the final of one tournament. Alana McLaughlin has also won a professional MMA bout.

We at Outsports want to make sure no one erases the history of trans women — or any LGBTQ people — in sports. If we missed anyone else, please do let us know in the comments and we will add them.

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