Olympic star Alysa Liu’s brother is transgender athlete dominating California high school girls’ events

The brother of American Olympic legend Alysa Liu is a transgender athlete dominating California high school girls’ athletic events, reports say.

Jaylin Liu was formerly named Joshua before transitioning and identifying as female, according to Reduxx.

He now competes in track and field girls’ varsity basketball and ultimate frisbee for both Albany High School and El Cerrito High School in California.

He’s reportedly made his biggest impact in track and field, taking home every first-place finish in 200-meter and 400-meter girls’ races that Albany High School has entered this year.

Jaylin recently took home the top spot at the Tri-County Athletic League Finals in May.

He also took eight separate first-place finishes at seasonal meets in 2025 and secured a gold medal in the 2025 Tri-County Athletic League Frosh-Soph Championship 200-meter race.

He has been praised for his “extremely dominant performance on the field,” according to Reduxx.

Women’s sports advocacy organizations have pushed back against Jaylin’s participation in girls’ sports.

“The Liu family represents two opposing forces: the pinnacle of excellence in female sports and, at the same time, a profound threat to the integrity of those sports,” Marshi Smith of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports said.

“Alysa’s achievements are the result of years of dedication and hard work beginning in childhood. By contrast, her brother’s recent personal ambitions threaten to undermine the same developmental pathways that so many girls depend on to blaze their own trails to greatness.”

A representative from HeCheated, “a centralized archive documenting the impact and magnitude of male participation in female-only sports categories and events,” said Jaylinn’s participation in female sports puts Alysa in a difficult spot.

“Rules allowing boys into girls’ sports often put female athletes who may have male family members, like Alysa, in an impossible position where their loyalties are torn and they are forced to choose between supporting female athletes and fairness in athletics or a beloved family member who they love,” the spokesperson said. 

“Firm rules protecting the female category puts the responsibility of saying no to these boys on athletic officials rather than young women and girls.”

Jaylin watched his sister, Alysa, at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with their father Arthur Liu.

Alysa, who currently attends UCLA, won two gold medals with two first-place finishes in the women’s individual singles and the team event.

Jaylin’s transition is revealed at a time when the Trump administration has targeted transgender athletes for their participation in girls’ sports. Alysa has softly criticized the administration at times.

“I definitely do care what our country is doing,” she said in an interview with KARE 11. “I think it is really important also to notice the faults in our own government.”

But certain female professional athletes like WNBA player Sophie Cunningham have embraced restrictions to “protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

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