Hannah Arensman, a superstar cyclist who has competed on the national cyclocross circuit, spoke Friday about the decision to retire from the sport after losing to Austin Killips in an event last year.
Killips, a transgender woman who is allowed to compete in the women’s division, finished in third place at the UCI Cyclo-cross National Championships in December. Arensman finished in fourth place and another transgender woman, Jenna Lingwood, finished in fifth place.
Arensman revealed that he withdrew from the sport in an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to vacate a preliminary injunction against a West Virginia law that sought to keep transgender student-athletes at all levels of competition to play against those of the same gender. biological rather than the gender with which they identify. She was one of 67 athletes, coaches and family members who supported the law.
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Hannah Arensman competes in 2016. (Tim de Waele/Corbis via Getty Images)
Arensman suggested to The Telegraph in a recent interview that the influx of transgender athletes competing against biological women bodes badly for the future of the sport.
«I realized that if an opportunity presented itself to say something on behalf of other women, I would take it,» she told the outlet. «This has gone on long enough, it has gone far enough. It should never have gotten to this point, it should never have been allowed. Someone has to take responsibility. This is not a fair sport, and the governing bodies, who should have made the rules at the beginning, they need to realize. The very people who should be protecting our sport aren’t doing it.»
Arensman said losing a podium spot at the championships to Killips was a moment that hurt not only her, but her family as well.
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«For my family, he tore them to pieces,» he told The Telegraph. «I know there are so many women torn apart by this, but they’re afraid to say anything for fear of losing sponsors, of being beaten up on social media, the main platform for getting endorsements in the first place. So they won.» Don’t say anything, even if they’re angry.»
Arensman said she understood why people are afraid to speak up, pointing to the incident Riley Gaines endured at San Francisco State University when she was attacked after a talk.
Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines spoke before Congress Tuesday about an incident that occurred on April 6, 2023, when she claims to have been held for ransom at San Francisco State University. (Homeland Security Subcommittee via YouTube)
Yet now that she’s retired, Arensman refuses to keep quiet.
«Now that I’ve retired, people don’t really have anything that they can make me come back and say, ‘If you want to continue racing, you’d better shut up,'» he told The Telegraph. «No. I’m done with the sport. I’ve been a cyclist for 12 years, and that’s it. Now I can freely say things that needed to be said for a while.»
«I have a little sister, only 13 years old. With your younger brothers, you feel like you’re in some way responsible, to make sure they’re protected. And I’d hate to see her in a sport where she’s trying to compete against guys on her own ground. No it’s ok.In my last season, I was happiest in those races where I was competing against girls.
“I thought, ‘This is like old times. I’m competing with people who are biologically like me.’ I know I could put in my absolute effort, and wherever the chips land, it would be true. I feel bad for the next generation of girls growing up. We need fair competition. It’s very important to learn about perseverance, to learn to push ourselves, instead of taking the easy way out.»
Hannah Arensman cools down after the junior women’s individual time trial during the individual time trial during day two of the UCI Road World Championships on October 10, 2016 in Doha, Qatar. (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
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Arensman had finished in the top five in his last seven races. According to Cross Results, he had 35 wins in his career.