How many sports world records have been set by transgender athletes 

1. What the sources actually enumerate — medals, titles, records, not a single global count

Reporting and advocacy sites document individual examples: profiles of trans athletes who have set college records or won medals (Lia Thomas, CeCé Telfer, Laurel Hubbard) and lists of trans athletes with state, national or international titles ^{[1] [2] [7]}. Other outlets tally wins or medal displacements (a UN-linked document reported as saying “nearly 900 medals” lost to transgender competitors) but these are medal counts, not confirmations of formally ratified world records ^[4]. Advocacy pieces claim record-breaking incidents in particular sports or categories, but they typically do not compile or verify a single, sport-wide “world records set” total ^{[3] [6]}.

2. Definitions matter — “world records” vs. championships, school records, masters categories

News stories and lists mix different achievements: school records (e.g., Meghan Cortez at Ramapo College and other collegiate record reports), national championships (examples noted across reporting), masters-category world bests (Rachel McKinnon’s masters sprint result), and international medals (Laurel Hubbard’s Pacific Games wins). Those are distinct: an NCAA or college record is not the same as an internationally ratified world record, and masters-category “world bests” are not necessarily equivalent to open elite world records ^{[8] [9] [2]}.

3. Examples frequently cited in reporting — what they represent

Prominent individual examples appear across sources: Laurel Hubbard’s international weightlifting results and contested records at regional games ^{[10] [2]}; CeCé Telfer’s NCAA Division II championship ^[7]; Rachel McKinnon’s masters track cycling “world best” in a masters age group ^[9]; Lia Thomas’ college meet records and controversy ^[1]. These are concrete instances of record-setting or title-winning, but each source clarifies the level and category involved rather than presenting a single global count ^{[2] [9] [1]}.

4. Aggregation efforts and partisan use of counts — differing framings

Some groups attempt broader tallies: Outsports compiled lists of trans athletes with state, national or international titles (a list updated through May 2025) but that is a curated roster, not a strict world-record inventory ^[5]. Activist or advocacy organizations and some policy groups publish higher aggregated figures that frame harms to women’s sports (a UN-related report cited by TNND claimed “nearly 900 medals”) — these numbers are contested, contextualized differently, and combine levels of competition ^{[4] [6]}. Readers should note agendas: advocacy outlets may emphasize displacement of cisgender competitors, while sports and medical reporting often stress nuance about categories, testosterone policies, and scientific uncertainty ^{[3] [11]}.

5. Scientific and governance context around records and eligibility

Major sports bodies have debated eligibility rules rather than publishing exhaustive lists of trans-set records; World Athletics and other federations have changed or tightened rules citing perceived fairness concerns, while some scientists argue the evidence base on competitive advantage and record impacts remains limited and uneven ^[11]. Joanna Harper’s small-sample research and other analyses are invoked both to question and to defend policy choices; reporting notes there is little large-scale, high-quality data that would let federations produce a simple accounting of “how many world records” trans athletes have set ^[11].

6. What’s missing and what a reliable answer would require

Available sources do not supply a single authoritative count of world records set by transgender athletes; they document examples, medal tallies, and lists that mix competition levels ^{[5] [4] [6]}. To produce a verifiable global total would require: a clear definition of “world record” (open elite vs. masters vs. age-group vs. national), a sport-by-sport audit against each federation’s ratified record lists, and transparent methodology — none of which the provided reporting attempts ^{[9] [2] [3]}.

Conclusion: current reporting offers concrete examples and varied tallies (from curated lists of dozens to medal-displacement claims in the hundreds), but does not provide a single, verifiable number of “sports world records” set by transgender athletes; creating one would demand standardized definitions and federation-level verification not present in these sources ^{[5] [4] [2]}.