Transgender female cyclist Na Hwa-rin transitioned last year and is officially recognized as a woman by South Korean law. This allowed her to compete against fellow women in the Gangwon Sports Festival where she won the race. But she’s not proud of the win – she did it simply to prove a point.
Na Hwa-rin won the race, but her goal was not to claim victory but to “stir controversy” and prove a point about transgender women competing in women’s sports.
“I have no unresolved feelings over winning because that’s no longer what I want. My goal was to stir controversy and get my story heard by competing,” Na told the Korean Times.
“I am not honored. I am not proud of myself at all,” Na said. “I believe other transgender athletes would feel the same way. They may not want to admit it, but they’re being selfish. There is no honor as an athlete in that.”
It’s a pretty shocking move from Na, and it generated lots of reactions on social media.
https://twitter.com/Lou_TireWorld/status/1679808325943279616?s=20
I think I will enter a race for children tomorrow; not for the victory but to prove a point.
— K Smith (@KSmith44651125) July 14, 2023
How about having their own transgender category?
— Kspat18 (@kspat18) July 14, 2023
Some of y’all need to actually read the article before commenting on this one.
— Laura 📚 (@LorieBama) July 14, 2023
As a woman, if I can’t beat a man, then I’m not the best. And that’s ok.
— BittyBoo (@BittyBo92340678) July 13, 2023
Very interesting article. https://t.co/iE522wtU85
— IntentionalGlitch (@G_l_i_t_c_h_e_d) July 14, 2023
By winning the race, Na also qualified for the National Sports Festival. But she has declined, making it clear that she has already proven her point.
“I don’t want to make an issue to the point where I harm other people,” she said.
