Transgender swimmer Ana Caldas dominated the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship last weekend, winning five women's races.
The 47-year-old athlete claimed gold medals in all events entered in the women's age 45-49 category, including 50-yard and 100-yard breaststroke and freestyle events.
Caldas completed the sweep by taking first place in the 100-yard individual medley, and the championship performances have sparked controversy across social media platforms.
U.S. Masters Swimming has acknowledged the situation and indicated they are reviewing the swimmer's eligibility according to their transgender participation policies.
🚨🚨INSANITY. At this weekend’s U.S. Masters Spring National Championships, Hugo “Ana” Caldas, a male athlete, took first place in 5 Women’s individual events.
— Beth Bourne (@bourne_beth2345) April 27, 2025
Here he is crushing the Women's breast stroke 45-49 category, winning by a full 3 seconds, in a time of 29.74.… pic.twitter.com/EPfuFe6wOh
The organisation has confirmed they've received a formal eligibility review request regarding Caldas's participation in the women's competition category.
USMS issued a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the controversy surrounding Caldas's participation: "USMS is aware of allegations regarding the eligibility of a swimmer who competed at our Spring National Championship. We have received an eligibility review request and will follow our formal process to make a determination.
"USMS exists to empower adults to improve their lives through swimming. The health and fitness benefits of swimming are the primary focus of that mission, but we also strive to create a community that values fairness, competition, and inclusion."
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The video shows Ana Caldas clear of their competitors
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USMS emphasised their 'longstanding policy on transgender swimmers' that was developed with input from subject matter experts.
The organisation also noted their policy 'includes procedures to address questions of eligibility' for transgender athletes competing in their events.
USMS's transgender policy allows athletes to compete in the gender category with which they identify, subject to specific requirements.
One key condition requires transgender women to undergo "hormonal therapy appropriate for the female gender" continuously for at least one year.
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This requirement aims to 'minimise gender-related advantages in sport competitions' and therefore proof of low enough testosterone levels.
These conditions must be met before transgender swimmers can fully participate and be recognised for their accomplishments in women's events.
The policy represents USMS's attempt to balance inclusion with competitive fairness in masters swimming competitions.
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Ana Caldas won gold in all five of the races they entered
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The organisation maintains formal procedures to review eligibility when questions arise, as in Caldas's case.
The current review will determine whether Caldas met all policy requirements for participation in the women's category.
In June 2023, Texas passed the Save Women's Sports Act, which prohibits transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports.
The law requires students to compete in gender categories matching their birth certificates, with exceptions only for clerical errors.
More recently, the Texas Senate passed the Texas Women's Privacy Act by a vote of 20-11, aiming to protect women in bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and domestic abuse shelters.
At the federal level, President Donald Trump implemented an executive order on February 5, 2025.
The order requires institutions receiving public funding to ban transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports competitions.
The swimming world previously faced similar controversy in 2022 with Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who competed for the University of Pennsylvania women's team.
UPenn and the NCAA now face lawsuits over Thomas's participation.
