Transgender cyclist Austin Killips won first place for the women’s Tour of the Gila, the premier road race in New Mexico. This achievement marks the most significant result for Killips. Previously, she won a medal in women’s cyclo-cross at the US National Championships. Following the recent win, Austin Killips is now a likely candidate to challenge for a place at the Tour de France Femmes and at next summer’s Paris Olympics.
Austin Killips is a 27-year-old transgender cyclist from Chicago. She took up cycling in 2019 before starting hormone replacement surgery. As per The Telegraph, she won approx 10062 USD for finishing at the top place in women’s general classification. Plus approx 1006 USD bonus as Queen of the Mountains. This win led to many conversations about transgender participants in sports.
Austin Killips faces much criticism for winning Tour of the Gila
“Austin is cycling’s equivalent of Lia Thomas,” Inga Thompson, a three-time US Olympian and five-time national road race champion, told Telegraph Sport. Lia Thomas won a US women’s collegiate title in swimming last year, in the 200-yard freestyle.
Women’s GC results after Stage 5 of #TOTG2023:
🥇Austin Killips @AmyD_Foundation
🥈 @marce_prieto92 @patobike030773
🥉 Emily Ehrlich @TeamTWENTY24🔴Climber’s jersey: Killips @AmyD_Foundation
💚Sprinter’s jersey: @ShaynaPowless @DNA_K4
⚪️Best Young Rider jersey: Nadia…— Tour of the Gila (@TouroftheGila) April 30, 2023
“[Killips’ win] highlights the issues that are happening to women in cycling,” Thompson said. “We have more than 50 transgender women in the sport.” She further shared that in the background women are walking away from sports. According to Thompson, they wonder, ‘Why bother, if it’s not fair?’
This isn’t the first time Austin Killips received criticism for winning a race. Her name first came to attention in March after former cyclo-cross champion Hannah Arensman cited her name in a Supreme Court filing explaining why she was retiring from the sport at 24.
Arensman lost a podium place to Killips in the national finals in December. She later accused Killips of repeatedly shoving her during the race. Arensman also shared her belief that young girls no longer have a fair chance at becoming record-breaking champions as trans-women want to compete in the women’s division.
Austin Killips denied the claims of shoving Arensman during the race.
Austin Killips is a likely candidate for Summer Olympics
🏳️⚧️ Austin Killips has won the women’s race at the Tour of the Gila, the premier road race in New Mexico, U.S.
🚴 The transgender cyclist is now tipped to challenge for a place at the Tour de France Femmes, and at next summer's Paris Olympics. pic.twitter.com/nOkRGQDpmS
— Openly 🏳️🌈 (@Openly) May 2, 2023
According to The Telegraph, Austin Killips is a likely candidate for the US Olympic women’s cycling team in Paris next summer. Her candidacy depends on UCI’s policy of allowing transgender riders to compete as long as they suppress their testosterone levels below 2.5 nanomoles per liter over two years.
The average testosterone level for women is between 0.5 and 2.4 nanomoles per liter. Meanwhile, the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that trans women are stronger and maintain better heart and lung capacity than CIS women, even after taking hormone therapy for over 14 years.
“Alison Sydor, a Canadian Olympic silver-medal winner, said on Twitter that the UCI’s transgender rules “are not fair to female athletes” and were “passed with no discussion [or] consultation with the people who have to live with these rules today”.”https://t.co/d3fe99fKWU
— Conservatives for Women (@CforWomenUK) May 2, 2023
“I expect Austin to win the Joe Martin Stage Race this month, then compete in the Tour de France Femmes and the Paris Olympics,” Thompson said to The Telegraph. She also shared that the Olympics aren’t mentioned yet as it would potentially lead to severe backlash for Killips.
With rapidly improving results, Killips is allowed to compete due to UCI’s liberal transgender policy. The policy received criticism for standing at odds with World Athletics’ ban on all post-puberty males from the female category.
The upcoming Tour de France Femmes will tell if Austin Killips will attempt for US Olympics women’s cycling team in Paris next summer.
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