Record-breaking trans runner retires ‘indefinitely’ after controversy over victory in female event

A record-breaking trans athlete who won a female 1,500m race in Canada this week has announced she is ‘stepping out’ of competitive running after backlashing with victory.

Tiffany Newell, 50, insisted it was fair for her to compete against biological women, but said she would retire indefinitely due to the controversy.

She also likened efforts to bar trans women from female events to blocking people because of their race.

Newell, who switched in 2017, took first place in the W50 1,500m, open to women aged 50 to 54, at the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in Toronto last weekend. Last year she set a new Canadian record in the 5,000 meters for women aged 45-49 with a time of 18:02:30.

In announcing her decision to step down, Newell said, “I have decided to step away from competition indefinitely. I don’t know how long it will last, but the last thing I want to be is to be in the center of controversy and the feeling of alienation and/or minority.’

Newell (left) has also set records in Canada since she switched in 2017. Critics say trans women have an unfair advantage, but Newell disagrees

In a lengthy Facebook post, she said the constant criticism of her participation in women’s events had taken a “huge toll, mentally and physically.”

Newell’s recent win came at the 12th Canadian Masters Indoor Championships. She came first against another woman with a time of 05:07.611. The other competitor in the W50 category, Catherin Weber, finished with a time of 06:19.358.

Weber, a friend of Newell’s, has since urged her not to stop participating.

She responded to the Facebook post, “I don’t blame you for wanting to back off. But if the other runner… please come back.”

Newell also challenged the view that trans women have an advantage in women’s competitions because of the higher testosterone levels they experience before transitioning. Studies have shown that the benefit is maintained even after hormone suppression treatment.

“We can’t disagree that testosterone has been scientifically proven to be beneficial in sports,” said Newell.

“However, I believe, based on test results and logical sense, this might be more applicable to young to middle-aged athletes undergoing gender reassignment, from male to female, where they are in the peak of their adolescence.”

She said that “as men get older, their testosterone levels gradually get lower,” but added that she believes “we’re generations away from fully understanding this scientifically.”

She likened the situation to blocking people on the basis of race and said, “With regard to anatomical (and physiological advantages or disadvantages) I completely disagree with this argument. Let’s take a step back in time…and revisit the history of ethnicity and participation in sports.

“Some of these people weren’t allowed to exercise. Why? A debate could be: protecting those who are already allowed to compete against the other ethnic groups who wanted to compete.’

Last year, Newell set a new Canadian record in the 5,000 meters for women aged 45-49 with a time of 18:02:30. Canadian Masters Athletics ratified the time as a record under the World Athletics policy for trans athletes.

Tiffany Newell (left) has won several events – and held some records – since she switched in 2017

Her success at the recent Canadian Masters Indoor Championships was highlighted by the International Consortium on Female Sport, a campaign group that lobbies for protected categories in biological women’s sports.

The policy states that the athlete must provide a signed statement confirming their gender identity and must also demonstrate that the concentration of testosterone in their blood serum has been less than 5 nanomoles per liter continuously for a period of at least 12 months.

Some critics have suggested an open category in addition to that for biological males and females, but Newell has previously said she “doesn’t feel comfortable racing against males.”

Newell’s success at her last event was highlighted by the International Consortium on Female Sport, a campaign group that lobbies for protected categories in biological women’s sports.

The ICFS pointed out that Newell’s time in the 1,500 meters was recorded in the World Masters Rankings as the current number one for a woman in the W50 category in 2023. No other times have been entered on the WMR website this year in that category.

The ICFS asked World Athletics and World Masters Athletics why it is not “protecting the integrity of the female category,” claiming Newell’s entry was “blatant gender discrimination.”

Trans swimmer Lia Thomas is a biological male and has sparked controversy in NCAA Swimming

Former NFL star Marcellus Wiley recently spoke out against transgender athletes in women’s sports

Proponents of the ICFS’s position said the competition was “wrong and unfair.”

The participation of trans women in women’s competitions has become the subject of fierce debate in recent years, as a result of which many (former) top athletes have spoken out in the debate.

Former NFL star Marcellus Wiley said earlier this month “it’s not right” for transgender women to compete against biological women in sporting events.

The former FS1 personality highlighted how athletes such as swimmer Lia Thomas, one of the most high-profile trans athletes, have established themselves as top competitors in women’s categories.

During a 2001 Pro Bowl defense end, Wiley said he “has no problem with transgender people,” but he did take offense to their participation in women’s sports.

Retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova recently “cheated” on trans athletes. Former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, who competed as a man in the 1976 Olympics before switching, said Thomas has “a huge advantage over girls” against whom she competes.