In a powerful statement breaking years of silence, former East Texas A&M University athlete Minna Svärd has come forward to share her experience as the first collegiate woman to lose an NCAA title to a transgender athlete.
Svärd, who competed in the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s 400-meter hurdles finals, finished second to CeCé Telfer of Franklin Pierce University, who had previously competed on the men’s team in 2016 and 2017 as Craig Telfer.
“I cried a lot that day—not because I lost, but because of how I lost,” Svärd revealed in her recent statement to wsj. “I also knew I wasn’t the only victim. Every time a male athlete enters a female competition, a woman gets cut from the roster to make room.”
The Finnish hurdler highlighted the significant physiological differences between male and female athletes in her sport, noting that women’s hurdles are 9 inches shorter than men’s, with Olympic men’s times approximately five seconds faster than women’s—a 10% difference she describes as “an eternity in this kind of sport.”
Svärd, who describes herself as a “people-pleaser,” waited a year before sharing her feelings about the race on Instagram. The post led to significant backlash, with Svärd facing accusations of transphobia and racism, along with harassment.
While Telfer went on to receive media attention, including a New York Times magazine profile, Svärd maintains she was the rightful champion. “In 2019 I was the fastest female 400-meter hurdler at any NCAA Division II school. It’s been five years since that honor was stolen from me. I want it back,” she stated.
Her statement comes in the wake of recent policy changes, including a February 2025 executive order aimed at protecting women’s sports. Svärd is now advocating for the correction of past competition results to “align with reality.”
