Transgender heiress, 14, steals victory from her own SISTER at California race
A transgender rich kid with a famous grandfather has faced criticism after winning a hard-fought track race in California, where she beat her own sister.
Lina Haaga, born Paul Haaga, placed first in the women’s varsity 400-meter race at the Prep League Championship Finals last week, Reduxx reports.
Haaga, who attends the posh $48,900-a-year Polytechnic School in Pasadena, finished the race in 59.45 seconds, narrowly beating her own sister Sienna, who is in the senior class.
The victory on April 29 was Lina’s personal best in the 400 meter relay.
The 14-year-old was also part of the school’s 400m relay team at the event, helping the team take home the gold in that race as well.
Sienna, her sister, attends Flintridge Preparatory School, which costs $50,750 per year.
They are the grandchildren of former NPR CEO Paul Haaga Jr.
In photos posted by the school’s athletics team, Haaga was seen smiling as they announced her double win.
Lina Haaga, born Paul Haaga, came first in the women’s 400 meter race at the Prep League Championship Finals last week
Haaga (far right) was also on the winning girls relay team at Pasadena Polytechnic School
But the news, first reported by Reduxx, caused a stir online. One commenter wrote: “Is it really satisfying to be five seconds slower than an average male runner and take a gold medal from your own sister?”
Another said: ‘Sad for California girls. When sanity returns, be kind.”
And a third added: ‘Imagine sending your daughter to a school that costs $50,000 a year and having to deal with this nonsense.’
But others came to Haaga’s defense: ‘Good luck to Lina. Seems like a nice girl and she’s having a great season. It’s fun to see kids competing, having fun and trying their best.”
Haaga transitioned from male to female at a “young age” and has competed on a plethora of girls’ sports teams, including basketball, swimming, water polo and tennis.
In a very sympathetic profile published in The Guardian earlier this year, Haaga said people’s aversion to trans players in women’s sport is “frightening”.
She says she feels robbed of the precious “moment of bliss” in sports because she fears what people will think if she plays against girls.
Haaga said: “The political climate has called into question my relationship with sport.
‘Instead of it being something innocent that I could just enjoy without fear of being discriminated against, every time I stepped onto the court or court I now had to worry that someone might disagree with my participation.
Paul Haaga Jr., the former acting president and CEO of NPR, is pictured at right with his wife Heather. He served as chairman of the board of Capital Research and Management Company, which manages more than $3 trillion in assets and equity
‘That was very scary, because it started to steal something that is precious to me – that moment of bliss.’
The trans girl said she will continue to play in women’s sports as an “act of defiance.”
She told The Guardian: ‘Playing sports and loving being on the field is an act of defiance in its own beautiful way.’
Haaga is the grandchild of Paul Haaga Jr., the former acting president and CEO of NPR.
He is also the former chairman of the Board of Capital Research and Management Company, which manages more than $3 trillion in assets and equity.
Haaga Jr is currently chairman of the Facebook Oversight Board.
Lina Haaga’s family has been contacted for comment.
The Trump administration is suing the California Department of Education and the CIF, claiming their trans-inclusive sports policies violate the civil rights of cisgender athletes.
Last year, California Governor Newsom broke party lines and said trans athletes competing in women’s and girls’ sports is “deeply unfair.”