A transgender athlete took bronze at a recent Massachusetts high school girls' indoor track state championship meet.

The athlete placed third in the girls’ 55-meter dash at the MIAA Division 3 Indoor Track and Field State Championship at the Reggie Lewis Center on Feb. 12.

The runner, who competes for Chelsea High School, finished the race in 7.26 seconds. The meet featured top competitors from Division 3 schools across Massachusetts.

On the boys' side, that time would not have qualified for an invitation to states.

Additionally, the athlete excels in the high jump and won the event at the Greater Boston League Championship meet on Feb. 5. That winning jump was 5 feet, 2 inches.

The result comes as debate continues over the state’s policy allowing students to compete in sports based on gender identity.

Massachusetts law has allowed participation based on self-selected gender identity since 2011, when lawmakers passed “An Act Relative to Gender Identity.” The law made gender identity a protected class in public schools. Following its passage, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education directed the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to allow students to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity.

The issue has drawn renewed attention in recent weeks following controversy in Pembroke.

Last month, Pembroke High School mother Chrissy Nelson addressed the Pembroke School Committee after her daughter finished ninth in the girls’ 55-meter dash at a Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association meet — a meet in which the runner from Chelsea finished third. Only the top eight runners advanced to the finals.

Nelson argued that state policy unfairly disadvantages female athletes.

“When a female cannot be noticed by colleges, they cannot be recruited, they cannot receive college scholarships, and their dreams are crushed … I’m here today bringing this important issue to your attention purely because I think that there are some school policies that need to be changed,” Nelson told the committee on Jan. 13.

Nelson called on the district to push for policies that base athletic participation on anatomical sex rather than gender identity.

Several Republican candidates for statewide office voiced support for Nelson and echoed her concerns, as NewBostonPost previously reported.

Transgender-identifying athletes have won state titles in girls’ track and basketball in Massachusetts in recent years. They have also won league all-star honors in girls' volleyball, girls' tennis, and set all-city meet records in track. A transgender-identifying girls' basketball player also injured three girls in one half of a game in 2024, forcing the other team to forfeit.

Most Bay Staters oppose male transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. A March 2025 University of New Hampshire poll found that 63% of state residents said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports, while 26% said they should.

Supporters of the current policy say that it promotes inclusion and ensures all students have access to school activities. Critics say that it creates competitive imbalances and limits opportunities for female athletes.

Chelsea Public Schools superintendent Almi G. Abeyta could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.