Austin Killips: ‘Trump singled me out for ruining women’s sports’
The transgender cyclist has written an open letter after President Trump signed an executive order
In early February, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders upon beginning his term. One of them was called the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
The order is said to ensure fairness and safety in women’s sports by restricting male participation based on gender identity or testosterone levels. It directs officials to work with athletic organizations, state attorneys general, and international bodies to enforce sex-based categories and promote fair policies. It also called for reviewing immigration policies to prevent male athletes from entering the U.S. to compete in women’s sports and urged the International Olympic Committee to adopt sex-based eligibility rules. Implementation is subject to legal constraints and does not create new enforceable rights.
In a speech, Trump specifically mentioned American cyclist Austin Killips. Killips, who is trans, became the topic of conversation on the matter after some high-profile wins in the U.S.
Trump mentioning Killips
“Last year a male cyclist posing as a woman competed in the 800-mile Arizona Trail Race–a very big deal in cycling–and obliterated the women’s course record by nearly five and a half hours.”
Killips took to the British outlet, The Guardian, to respond with an op-ed on the matter, specifically referring to the president.
“He’s right: I did snag the record from Alex Schultz (a man) who had previously bested the record held by Lael Wilcox (a woman). A few months after my effort, all of our paces were shattered by a Lithuanian ultra-distance phenom.” The piece was entitled, “Trump singled me out for ruining women’s sport. This is my response to him.”
On the inspiration to the event
The 29-year-old Chicago native said that her interest in the event was spurred by its co-ed leaderboard.
“Events like the Arizona Trail Race are not bound by governing bodies in any traditional sense. The rules boil down to little more than ‘pedal alone and in good faith under your own power.’ An event that involves riding across the length of Arizona and traversing the Grand Canyon with a bicycle on your back is as much a competition as an actualizing exercise for the masochists who choose to sublimate through sport,” she wrote.
Cyclists weigh in on UCI’s new policy to ban transgender athletes from women’s category
Killips said the record run brought fleeting attention from niche cycling publications and online forums but no financial gain or industry sponsorships to sustain a career in sport. Instead, victories became fuel for culture war debates, while similar athletes received institutional recognition.
According to Killips, the battle for trans inclusion in sports was lost long ago, as governing bodies across multiple disciplines have repeatedly bowed to pressure, pushing policies that further marginalize trans athletes.
UCI decision
In July 2023, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) introduced a policy barring transgender women who have experienced male puberty from competing in the female category. The men’s category was renamed to men/open, allowing athletes who don’t meet the female category criteria to compete without restrictions. The UCI’s Management Committee cited scientific findings, stating that two years of gender-affirming hormone therapy with a target testosterone level of 2.5 nmol/L does not fully negate the advantages gained from male puberty.
The move followed some big wins by Killips in the women’s category, including the Tour of the Gila. Following her win, the race organizer, Michael Engleman, a former pro cyclist, said in an interview with The Telegraph that the 64-year-old Engleman warned that the win could “kill the sport.” Engleman went on to say, “I know how hard it is to get people to put money into a women’s team, at any level. And now they’re asking, ‘Is this something I can touch? What if an athlete says the wrong thing?’ This is harming the sport. It’s a reality that somebody has to speak about.”
Killips responds to decision by UCI
After the UCI decision, Killips weighed in on Instagram.
“I am devastated by the UCI’s decision to renege on the policy and framework they previously set out for inclusion. My journey in professional racing has allowed me to see the world, build lifelong friendships, and most importantly give my absolute all to something I find deeply fulfilling,” Killips, who transitioned in 2019, posted. “No one should be denied the opportunity to chase the same joy that I and others have found through racing.”
Killips said that Trump’s executive order is a ‘perfect scam.’
On women’s cycling
The multi-disciplined cyclist said that “Trump and his acolytes get to talk endlessly about the fake spectre of trans athletes ‘invading’ women’s sports, while never putting any of their attention, immense political cache, and funding access towards things that would meaningfully elevate the state of women’s sports. Instead, they get to fixate their hate and attention on every transsexual woman who dares show up to a rec T-ball league with her friends.”
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Killips noted that conditions for women in U.S. cycling have never been worse for progression to the European peloton. Last year saw the closure of two key institutions: the Joe Martin Stage Race, after 46 years, and DNA Pro Cycling, the longest-running women’s pro team, which had been a major stepping stone for American riders. For women seeking opportunities to advance their careers, the situation is the worst it has been in a decade, she said.
Killips concluded by saying, “So my argument is quite simple. Maybe you take umbrage with trans people in sports, and in turn me (whatever, you won that battle). But if you purport to care about women’s sports, about girls getting a fair chance at competing, you need to ask yourself why, at the height of a historic moment of sweeping and unchecked austerity measures, the loudest and wealthiest people in the room have built a movement that culminated in this: an executive order that establishes a precedent to strip funding away from women in sport.”
As well as the UCI decision, other federations have made similar decisions, including World Athletics, World Swimming and World Rugby,