Cyclist refused to go on podium to receive medal for special reason

(Dan Tri) - Veteran American cyclist Julie Cutts Peterson has spoken out to defend her decision to refuse to stand on the podium to receive a medal with transgender competitor Kate “KJ” Phillips.

At the women's national championships in Wisconsin last week, Julie Cutts Peterson finished second after being passed in the final sprint by Kate “KJ” Phillips, who was born male.

Julie Cutts Peterson (left) refused to go up on the podium to receive her medal with Kate “KJ” Phillips (middle) (Photo: Icons).

Julie Cutts Peterson then made a shocking move by refusing to go up to the podium to receive her medal. In response to the audience's stunned reaction, Peterson frankly declared: "I don't want to compete with a man."

Speaking to Fox News, Peterson recalled the decisive moment of the race: “Me and Debbie Milne were leading and all of a sudden KJ came out and passed us both in the sprint. I’ve raced hundreds of races against women, thousands of group races, even sprints against men. I knew very well that that sprint was a man’s.”

“When I got to the finish line, I was really angry,” Peterson continued. “I said, ‘I don’t want to race against men.’ I thought, I have the right to say that. I studied science , I know about XX and XY chromosomes, and I believe that the majority of fans support gender segregation in sports.

No amount of makeup, no amount of money, no amount of media campaigning can change a Y chromosome. That's why we have to speak up.”

Peterson also said Phillips' name was not on the race day entry list, a claim that was also confirmed by Debbie Milne, who finished seventh, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.

Milne said she spent $400 and drove 13 hours from Greenville, South Carolina, to attend the tournament. She claimed she was not informed in advance about the presence of transgender athletes.

Debbie Milne also confirmed that she does not want to compete with transgender athletes (Photo: Icons).

“I only saw a photo of Phillips registering on June 16, but I don’t believe USAC has been transparent. I don’t want to continue racing until this is cleared up,” Milne said.

“I should have known,” she added. “I have the right to look at the list and decide whether to spend time and money on the race. I am a certified sports nutritionist and science has shown that people born male have a biological advantage in sports.”

Milne said she contacted the Independent Council for Women's Sport (ICONS) after the incident, and said the organisers had not acknowledged to the other riders that Phillips was not on the race list.

Under USAC’s current policy on transgender athletes, athletes are divided into two groups. Group A (high level) athletes must pass an independent medical evaluation and meet a certain testosterone threshold to be eligible to compete. Group B (lower level) athletes must submit a gender identity verification request, which is evaluated by the USAC technical director.

National championships (except those governed by the UCI) are classified as category A, meaning Phillips should theoretically meet the above criteria.

Phillips, whose Instagram page has the slogan “Sport is for everyone,” said in a comment on a Zwift Insider post: “Exclusionary rhetoric is really damaging to women’s cycling. It reinforces patriarchy and sexism.

I have been competing in sports for over 20 years under the guidelines of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). I was the first transgender athlete from the United States to compete under IOC regulations in 2004 when I played rugby. Unfortunately, the backlash has only increased as the issue of same-sex marriage has become less of a 'controversial topic'.

Now the focus is shifting to trans and non-binary people. But the reality is that the more women, including trans, feminine and non-binary people, participate in sport, the better it will be.”

Controversy surrounding transgender athlete participation continues to grow after the University of Pennsylvania agreed to settle federal Title IX violations involving Lia Thomas, the school’s former transgender swimmer.

According to the US Department of Education, the school will ban transgender athletes from competing in the women's category and remove Lia Thomas' name from the record. Athletes affected by Thomas' presence in NCAA tournaments will receive a direct apology and their titles will be properly returned.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/vdv-xe-dap-tu-choi-len-buc-nhan-huy-chuong-vi-ly-do-dac-biet-20250710125032016.htm