One person who should have an informed view of the transwomen-in-sport debate is Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner, herself a transwoman and former Olympic gold medallist (as a man), who made her opinions known a while back. "It just isn't fair", she said. "And we have to protect girls' sports in our schools."
Out of curiosity, I looked at Jenner’s personal bests for the ten events for which, as Bruce, she won a decathlon gold medal in Montreal in 1976. How many would have qualified him (as she was then) for individual women’s events in Tokyo? The answer is five: the 100m sprint, pole vault, long jump, high jump and the 400m, for which Jenner would hold the present women’s world record. Most likely she’d have qualified for the throwing events too, as Jenner’s personal bests were achieved with the heavier men’s discus and shot.
So given she would be an absolute cert for gold in the heptathlon, and likely to be chosen for several relay races, if a 27-year-old Jenner transitioned today, she could hope to carry home about ten women’s Olympic medals next month. No wonder she thinks it’s unfair.
Mick Hartley 
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