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'A moral failing': Internet fumes as trans athlete Tiffany Newell, 50, wins women's 1500m running event

In the recent event, Tiffany Newell was competing against Catherin Weber at the 12th Canadian Masters Indoor Championships

TORONTO, CANADA: A transgender woman's win in a 1,500m running event in Canada has prompted outrage as the debate around trans women competing in women's sports is still fresh. Tiffany Newell, 50, won the W50 1,500m, an event that is open to women aged 50 to 54. The event took place over the weekend at the Canadian Masters Indoor Championships in Toronto.

Reportedly, only one other person in that age group competed. Newell has placed first in women's events on repeated occasions and has even set global records for her category. She transitioned in 2017, according to the Daily Mail. The recent victory came with a time of 05:07.611.

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Who is Tiffany Newell?

Tiffany Newell is a former soccer player and triathlete. While she began her transition in 2017, she started competing only after completing it in 2020, and her testosterone levels matched World Athletics’ current transgender athlete’s policies.

In the recent event, Newell was competing against Catherin Weber at the 12th Canadian Masters Indoor Championships. Weber finished with a time of 06:19.358. Newell reportedly set a new Canadian record in the 5,000m in the women's 45-49 age category in 2022, with a time of 18:02:30. The time was ratified by Canadian Masters Athletics as a record under the World Athletics policy for trans athletes.

In the past, critics suggested that there should be an open category to run alongside those for biological men and women. Newell, however, did not support the idea. “The policy makes sense for non-binary athletes, but I don’t feel comfortable racing against men. It categorizes me in the sex I am not identified as. I am a woman, and I feel most comfortable racing against women or other transgender women. I believe an open category can work if athletes can continue to race against athletes of the same gender," she said at the time, according to Canadian Running. 

'A moral failing'

Social media users expressed their outrage at Newell's latest win. "Women athletes need to start boycotting and refuse to compete when a man is in the line up of competitors. This problem will only get worse and more frequent if they dont," one user wrote. Another said, "Completely agree. Men should also stop participating in sports until the separation of the sexes is upheld. Imagine all sports coming to a halt. That would make an major impact, and show of solidarity between men and women." "R.I.P Women's sports," said one user. 

"A moral failing. It’s all our fault for allowing them free reign under the guise of being “nice” or “politically correct”," one user said, while another wrote, "The women should refuse to run". "It's like south park is real life...if this doesn't show the biological differences in males and females I don't know what will," wrote one user. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.