A volleyball player left partially paralyzed by a transgender opponent has slammed the Olympics over its boxing controversy.
Payton McNabb was 17 when a ball spiked by a trans opponent with force struck her in the face, threw her to the ground and shut off her consciousness.
The 5ft 11in trans player cackled in delight, Ms McNabb said, after sending her to the floor. As did other players in the opposite team.
Ms McNabb was left with brain damage and paralysis on her right side, which ended her dreams of getting a volleyball college scholarship and has made it difficult to walk without falling.
She told DailyMail.com it was ‘disgusting’ that two boxers who failed gender tests had been cleared to fight women at this year’s Games in Paris.
She fears women could suffer injuries worse than hers.
She said: ‘There is a biological difference between the two [trans women and women], there is a difference in sports because of this in the first place.
‘It’s dangerous to have the two [sexes] competing together, and just not ok. I am disgusted by this, personally. This is morally wrong and evil.
She added: ‘These women have worked so hard and trained tirelessly to get all the way to the Olympics, all so they can get punched in the face by a dude.
‘It used to be illegal for men to beat up women, and now people are putting it on TV and watching it. It’s such a weird reality we are living in now.’
Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan were banned from competing in the Women’s World Boxing Championships in March last year in New Delhi because they failed gender eligibility tests.
At the time of their disqualifications, the president of the International Boxing Association, which governs the World Boxing Championships, claimed their genetic tests showed they had XY chromosomes.
Women have two X chromosomes, while men typically have an X and a Y chromosome.
Khelif and Lin have both always competed as women and it does not appear that either identifies as transgender or intersex (those born with sexual organs belonging to both sexes).
But the Paris Olympics’ organizers have cleared them to fight in the women’s divisions, saying their entry complies with ‘applicable medical regulations.’
Ms McNabb, who is now 19, knows all too well the dangerous physical imbalance advantage that biological males possess.
The North Carolina native was struck in the face by a ball traveling at 70mph while in a match in September 2022.
The ball had been hit by the tall, thin transgender player, who towered over female teammates both on their side and in the opposition.
Ms McNabb was knocked unconscious for 30 seconds on the floor with her arms locked upright in a ‘fencing’ position.
Doctors diagnosed her with a traumatic brain injury, concussion, partial paralysis on her right side, whiplash and vision problems — which she is still dealing with today, almost two years later.
Now a communications student at Western Carolina University, Ms McNabb says she continues to struggle to move the right side of her body — leading her to regularly lose her balance and suffer from falls.
Her mental acuity is also damaged, with Ms McNabb requiring hours of extra tutoring every month and extra time during tests because of the damage.
And she has struggled with much worse vision, anxiety and depression as she fights to recover from her injuries.
The student — who played volleyball, softball and basketball — has also had her sporting career cut short right at the beginning, saying she can no longer play in the way that she knows she used to.
Experts say there is a risk of injuries like concussion from playing volleyball, regardless of the gender of the players.
But women struck by balls hit by trans players report they are traveling faster and with more force than anything they have previously experienced.
Studies have also shown that transgender players in women’s sports retain a biological advantage over their female opponents — even years after their transition began.
A major review carried out last year found that early exposure to testosterone in trans women mean they possess at least eight physical and mental attributes that could give them an advantage in sports.
Trans women were also shown to have greater muscle mass and bone density, as well as bigger lungs, higher oxygen levels in the blood and increased connections in the area of the brain responsible for spatial awareness.
And a British study from 2021 involving 46 transgender women found they retained a push-up and sit-up advantage over biological women up to two years after starting on feminizing hormones. It also showed they had a speed advantage while running.
Concerns were raised over the transgender athletes being included in women’s boxing at the Olympics after video showed Imane Khelif landing brutal blows on their competitor Mexico’s Brianda Tamara.
The match took place in December 2022, with Ms Tamara saying afterwards she had felt ‘very out of my depth’.
‘Her blows hurt me a lot,’ she revealed, ‘I don’t think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men’.
‘Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely.’
She has also since revealed pictures online showing images of serious bruises on her face following the match.
Khelif has claimed online that they have been excluded from matches because of a ‘conspiracy’ to prevent Algeria winning a gold medal.
Ms Payton’s experience has led her to become an ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum, which advocates for fairness in women’s sport.
A statement she gave to the North Carolina legislature last year was instrumental in its decision to pass an act blocking transgender athletes from women’s sports.
She says she is doing it for her younger sister and other female athletes coming after her, to help them avoid the same injuries.
The athlete who caused Ms McNabb’s injuries — which Ms McNabb has chosen not to name — is still yet to apologize for them, and has only messaged her once since to explain why they took the shot.
The player also previously wrote on a TikTok video: ‘i literally hit her because she pulled (off) the net when she was supposed to be blocking and she gave me an easy shot down the line.
‘And i OBVIOUSLY didn’t mean to hit her in the face. like, i’m not actually evil in the way that you think i am, believe it or not.’