women refuse to race against man
Trans-Identified Male Athlete Runs Solo After Female Competitors Boycott Race
By Marie O’Nealle
Staten Island, NY — At the USA Track and Field (USATF) Open Masters Championships held on March 1, 2025, at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, trans-identified male athlete Camden Schreiner, 21, ran alone in the women’s 400-meter dash after all female competitors refused to race against him.
Schreiner, a biological man competing in the women’s division, was the only runner on the track as female athletes scheduled to compete refused to participate. The official results marked 17-year-old Anna Vidolova and 16-year-old Amaris Hiatt as “Did Not Start” (DNS), effectively making Schreiner the default winner of the event with a time of 56.74 seconds.
In the women’s 200-meter dash later in the meet, Schreiner again took first place with a time of 24.42 seconds. However, the so-called victory rings hollow, as multiple female athletes who had been scheduled to run in that event also did not start. Many view their absence as an intentional protest against being forced to compete against a male athlete.
More women are beginning to stand up for themselves and refusing to accept the increasing intrusion of male-born competitors into their divisions. This was no victory for Schreiner, a male runner who would not even place in the 200-meter race if he were competing against men. Instead, it was a moment of resistance by female athletes who are drawing a line in the sand and asserting their right to fair competition.
USATF allows transgender-identified males to compete in the women’s category as long as they meet certain hormone suppression criteria, in accordance with International Olympic Committee guidelines. However, many female athletes and advocates argue that male-bodied competitors retain significant physical advantages, even with hormone treatment, and that their inclusion undermines the integrity of female sports.
Schreiner previously competed in men’s track and field before transitioning to the women’s division and has since set records in collegiate athletics while running for Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). His participation in women’s sports has drawn criticism from those who say it creates an unfair playing field and erases opportunities for female athletes.
The boycott at the New York meet is a sign of a growing movement in which more female athletes are taking a stand against policies that allow male-bodied individuals to compete in women’s divisions. As the debate over fairness and inclusion continues, this incident underscores the intensifying battle over the future of women’s sports.