Wednesday marked a landmark moment in women’s sports. 

Sebastian Coe and World Athletics announced that all female athletes entering eligibility for world-ranking events—including the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo—must pass a one-time SRY gene test starting September 2025. 

As a mother to a female athlete and a female athlete myself, I have lived the heartbreak of males invading women’s sports, both personally and through my daughter. At the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships in Málaga, Spain, I was personally forced to compete against a male athlete, and although I managed to win by a hair, the same man was able to beat my teammate for a podium medal the following year. 

A few years later, in 2020, my daughter was forced to go through the same experience, placing second behind the biological male athlete competing against in her first and only track meet of the season before COVID-19. No woman should have to endure the psychological strain of competing against a male in a female category.

But with Coe’s announcement, the future for female athletes is a little bit brighter. 

World Athletics’ measurable, science-based approach ensures that only those confirmed as biologically female, or who meet strict transitional criteria under the DSD framework, are eligible—a cornerstone for upholding the integrity of women’s competition.

The testing process is straightforward, no more invasive than existing drug testing—a simple cheek swab or dry-blood‑spot—providing secure results, typically within weeks. It gives athletes and regulators clarity without compromising privacy or dignity, offering a rigorous yet humane method that rests on medical reliability and efficiency. Past ruling—including the long and complex Caster Semenya cases—underscored the fragility of testosterone-based regulations. World Athletics’ working group concluded that older rules lacked sufficient clarity and consistency. I agree. 

Finally, aligning with policies like those in boxing and other elite sports, track and field now joins a growing international consensus for ensuring fair play across disciplines as well as women’s dignity.  

This goes beyond policy: girls and women deserve to be able to play and compete among ourselves and on fair terms without being forced to expose ourselves and our bodies to males, just because they claim to “identify” into women’s spaces. Consistent rules based in biological reality protect women’s sports. World Athletics’ decision has done just that with this step in the right direction. 

As a world champion track athlete, I’ve dedicated my life to the sport and to advocating for fairness in women’s competition. At a World Championship meet, I competed against a biological male athlete in a women’s event—a moment that made it undeniably clear that the playing field was no longer level. 

It was a turning point for me, not just as an athlete but as a mother. Shortly afterward, my own daughter lined up for her very first high school race as a freshman, only to face a male athlete in the girls’ category. Watching her go through the same experience I had—so early in her athletic journey—was heartbreaking and deeply motivating.

As a coach for track and field—working with everyone from elite Olympic athletes, to collegiate champions, to high school girls—I have witnessed firsthand the emotional toll on young female athletes when males are included in their competition. Many of these girls, who have dedicated years to training, walk off the track discouraged, knowing their best abilities will not match any male body’s abilities. They even talked to me about considering quitting a sport they once loved. The sense that the playing field is no longer level can chip away at their confidence and motivation in ways that are hard to repair.

World Athletics’ new policy recognizes the importance of maintaining fair competition for biological females, offering hope to women and girls who simply want the chance to compete on equal terms. I’m encouraged to see steps being taken to protect the opportunities, dreams, and safety of current and future generations of female athletes.