Ana Caldas has competed at the CrossFit Games three times. Caldas’ most recent appearance was in the Women’s Masters 40-44 year-old division in 2021 where she placed 7th overall. Fast forward four years and Caldas is making waves in the swimming community.
Caldas, now 47, won five individual events at the US Masters Swimming Spring National Championship last week. Caldas’ performance has created quite the controversy, however.
Why? Well, Caldas is a transgender athlete.
Ana, who has also gone by the name, Hannah, was born as Hugo Caldas.
Caldas was an Olympic hopeful back in 2012, but fell just short of qualifying for the London Olympics in the 50m freestyle by 0.3 seconds.
That’s when Caldas turned to CrossFit. Caldas competed in the women’s division from 2012 through 2021.
It was not until 2018 when CrossFit implemented a transgender policy that allowed athletes to compete in the category that aligned with their gender identity if they met certain criteria.
That policy was reversed ahead of the 2025 CrossFit Games season whereby athletes must now compete in the category that matches their sex at birth.
Current Debate
Caldas’ performance last week has caused quite the controversy in the sport and online. In the 50-yard breast stroke race, Caldas finished in 29.74 seconds, beating second place by more than three seconds.
Watch Caldas’ race below:
ICONS, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, wrote a letter to the US Masters Swimming board expressing concern about the situation. “There is no length of time during which testosterone suppression eliminates male advantage; therefore it should not serve as a guideline permitting men to compete in women’s swimming. At a minimum, it is USMS’s responsibility to enforce its current policy,” wrote ICONS.
The debate has also taken over X.
