"'I Want to Be Controversial,' Transgender Athlete Nahwarin Wins Women's Keirin Championship"

"Women's Skills Were Higher Than Expected, It Was More Difficult"
Completed Gender Correction After Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery Last Year

Na Hwarin (Cheorwon), the first transgender woman in Korea to officially compete in a race, won first place in her debut competition.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Na participated in the women's general division 1 cycling race at the 58th Gangwon Provincial Sports Festival held at the cycling stadium in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon. She took first place, surpassing representatives from Gangneung and Chuncheon. From the start, she surged to the front and maintained the lead throughout the three laps of the 330m track.

In an interview immediately after the race, Na said, "I was very nervous, but I feel proud as I think I ran with all my strength," adding, "I will do my best in the remaining two races." She also confessed, "I was so nervous worrying about what would happen if other competitors forfeited because of my participation that I only slept for two hours." After the race, Na approached the competitors who might have lost their chance to win first place due to her participation and offered them drinks as an apology.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Na Hwa-rin (Cheorwon) is sprinting in the women's general division 1 cycling race at the 58th Gangwon Provincial Sports Festival held at the cycling stadium in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Having undergone gender reassignment surgery last year, she has also completed the legal gender change process, making her legally female with a resident registration number starting with 2. Currently, there are no specific restrictions for participation in the women's division other than gender, so Na's participation poses no legal issues. However, controversy over "fairness" arose regarding whether it is appropriate for her, with relatively superior physical attributes?height 180cm, weight 72kg, and skeletal muscle mass of 32.7kg?to compete in the women's division. The average skeletal muscle mass for general women is 20 to 22kg. Additionally, before her gender transition, Na won four events, including the men's general division 1km individual time trial and 4km individual pursuit, at the 47th Gangwon Provincial Sports Festival in 2012. Regarding this, she raised her voice, saying, "It is about creating space for sexual minorities to break into categories strictly divided by male and female."

If Na achieves excellent results in this competition, she will also be eligible to participate in the National Sports Festival. Gangwon Province has a thin pool of female cycling athletes, so winners at the provincial sports festival have an advantage in qualifying for national competitions.