As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . Lia Thomas has become the first transgender swimmer to win an NCAA championship after she blitzed her rivals to win the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, but the victory has again initiated a debate as to the Thomas' right to compete against biologically-born women. Rankings. In a column on the matter for the conservative Daily Mail newspaper, Davis also incorrectly said that Thomas was 6 ft 4 in tall; she is actually 6 ft 1 in. The letter also indicated they believe sex should be considered separately from gender identity during competition. Days later, over 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response. In addition, over 300 current and former swimmers, collegiate and elite, signed their names to an open letter defending her ability to compete. [17][18] According to an archived page of the swimming data website Swimcloud, Thomas was ranked 89th among male college swimmers for that season. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas set a new Ivy League record at a meet in Ohio. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, wants to continue to compete after Before competing on the women's team, Thomas spent three seasons on the men's team at Penn. Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas has made headlines so far in the NCAA season by giving several record-breaking performances after completing the first year as a woman. Thomas' time was a season best and a little more than 9. Lia Thomas, now competing for the Penn women's team after previously swimming for the men's team And Thomas is even rising in the all-time rankings: her 200 free performance makes her the Thomas is not the first collegiate swimmer to come out as transgender and make the switch. Another of Thomas' teammates reportedly told Outkick that other swimmers on the UPenn team are often upset and cry, knowing Thomas will beat them. As a freshman, Thomas set a time of 8 minutes and 57.55 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle, the 6th-fastest mens time in the country. [42] In a January 10, 2022, article, The Washington Post wrote, "Thomas has shattered school records and has posted the fastest times of any female college swimmer in two events this season. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1998/1999) is an American swimmer and student at the University of Pennsylvania. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas powered to a historic victory in the 500-yard freestyle at the US collegiate championships in Atlanta on Friday in the latest milestone win of her controversial career. [5], Brooke Forde, an Olympic silver medalist, said of Thomas that: "I believe that treating people with respect and dignity is more important than any trophy or record will ever be, which is why I will not have a problem racing against Lia at NCAAs this year". Last month she wrote the letter, purportedly on behalf of 16 unnamed Penn swimmers, who said Thomas had an unfair advantage. But some organizations, such as the. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women's Thomas competed on Pennsylvania's men's team for three years before transitioning and moving to the women's team, setting multiple programme records. Her times in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle were among the top 100 in the country. Pool and open water. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images). Feb 3, 2022. Lia Thomas: Banned| Swimming| Before| Ranking| Record, Declan Rice: Birthday| Position| Wages| Wiki, Monti Ossenfort: Wiki| Salary| Wife| Net Worth, Russell Gage: What happened| Injury update| Injury report, Lamar Jackson: College| Sunglasses| Injury, Aaron Donald: Jersey| Rookie card| Shirtless| Height. For all the fear of trans people excelling in womens sports, there have been only a few Olympians who publicly identify as trans among the tens of thousands of athletes who compete every two years. Lia Thomas is a transsexual woman. Im talking a small slice of competitive sports.. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000)[2] is an American swimmer. I want trans people to be loved and accepted and be productive in society and be their true selves, she added. [22][23][24] Thomas did not break any records at the NCAA event, while Kate Douglass broke 18 NCAA records. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. They spoke for a few minutes until Thomas took off to get back to her work. She would have finished first again in 2021, as Paige Madden won that with a time of 04:34.61. Thomas's best time in the 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24. She has been competing since then. We are whole people.. [2][5] On March 23, after Indiana governor Eric Holcomb vetoed a legislative ban on the participation of transgender girls in school sports for girls, The New York Times wrote, "Sports participation by transgender girls and women has become an increasingly divisive topic among political leaders and sports sanctioning groups, which have struggled with the issue in a way that respects transgender athletes and addresses concerns some critics have raised about competitive fairness" and reported that Utah governor Spencer Cox, at a press conference before his veto of similar legislation, stated to the transgender community, "We care about you. Lia Thomas. However, the NCAA said those rules will be instituted in a phased approach over the coming seasons rather than in the middle of this season. Penn's Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who has attracted international attention, swims her 1st NCAA race on Thursday morning as top seed in the 500 free. 3 min read A former Olympian and Virginia Tech female swimmer blasted. Transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas has spoken out about the anti-trans hostility she has faced as an athlete. the right thing and admit that they were wrong & that much more has to go into this before people like Lia can. [12][47] Another swimmer, Olympic silver medalist Erica Sullivan, spoke in support of Thomas in an opinion piece for Newsweek: "like anyone else in this sport, Lia has trained diligently to get to where she is and has followed all of the rules and guidelines put before her she doesn't win every time. Lia Thomas, center, gathers with her teammates before she swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 22, 2022. Updated University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who is transgender, broke multiple records for the school's women's swim team at the Zippy Invitational over the weekend. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly! RELATED: U. Penn Swimmer Lia Thomas 'Couldn't Get out of Bed' Before Coming Out as Transgender. During the last season Thomas competed as a member of the Penn men's team, which was 2018-19, she ranked 554th in the 200 freestyle, 65th in the 500 freestyle and 32nd in the 1650 freestyle. All Rights Reserved. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Reporter: You're a Virginia Tech swimmer. from what territory was yugoslavia created 8; I know they are friends and I know they are talking before they meet. Lia Thomas, a 22-year old transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, has been shattering women's records at the school. [7], Towards the end of high school, Thomas began to question her gender identity. Thomas, who previously swam for the men's team before transitioning to female in 2019 and sparking a national debate, finished the race with a time of 4:33.24, more than a full second ahead of. She has recently been smashing women's records at school. This is deadnaming and disrespectful. The debate has also reached the political benches. One of her most vocal supporters said there was no room for compromise. On the far side of the pool, Thomas closely watched the end of the 50-yard freestyle race and clapped in excitement upon Henigs win, a rare display of enthusiasm from Thomas at the meet. Nov 28. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas reportedly made an arrogant comment about how "easy" one of her races against female opposition was. Did you encounter any technical issues? Thomas's best time in the 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24. [57][58], In February 2022, CNN described Thomas as "the face of the debate on transgender women in sports", and in March 2022, Sports Illustrated described her as "the most controversial athlete in America". University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas set a new Ivy League record at a meet in Ohio. Quite to the extent that it has blown up, we werent fully expecting, she said. Penn swimmer Lia Thomas's decision to keep swimming as a transgender woman has spawned a thousand think-pieces, new rules and threats of legal challenges over her presence. She was born a boy and underwent gender reassignment surgery to change her gender. She has followed National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Ivy League regulations since she began her transition in 2019 by starting hormone replacement therapy. If Lia (born Will) Thomas were not the self-absorbed narcissist that from all indications (s) Thomas' instantly vaulting from a national ranking of No. Her time for the 500 freestyle is over 15 seconds slower than her personal bests before medically transitioning. Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas became the first known transgender athlete to capture a Division I national title by winning the 500 free at the NCAA women's Thomas finished 1.75 seconds ahead of second-place Emma Weyant, who attends Virginia. Swimming star Michael Phelps, too, expressed his hesitations on the topic in an interview with CNN in January. Her face has been prominently featured on Fox News and right-wing news sites critical of societys changing views on sex and gender. Before her transition, Thomas competed for two. The fastest time that year was from Katie. The University of Pennsylvania's. Its not about fairness. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! [14][15] Thomas's event progression peaked in 2019 for distance swimming, with a drop in times during the 202122 season. Lia Thomas took control in the final 100 yards of the 500-yard freestyle to make history Thursday as the first transgender woman to win an NCAA "I didn't have a whole lot of expectation for this meet," said Thomas, a former male swimmer for Penn State. Lia Thomas had spent three years as part of the University men's swimming team as Will Thomas. And when she does, she deserves, like anyone else in this sport, to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labeled a cheater simply because of her identity. Her hair nestled alongside the medal around her neck as a blue University of Pennsylvania jacket hung from her broad swimmers shoulders. Jenner has claimed that Thomas wasn't the rightful winner of the 500-yard freestyle final at the NCAA college championships. Felt Lined Silverware Drawer Inserts, One spectator spoke out as transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday. She participated as Will. One spectator spoke out as transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday. With one hand she held a placard reading Ivy 2022 Champion, and with the other she stuck up two fingers in that classic sign of victory. Mar 4, 2022, 10:29 AM. USA Swimming issues new policy on elite transgender athletes. Previously, Lia competed for the school's men's team as Will Thomas for 3 years before joining in a women's team. Transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas was crushed in the 100-meter breaststroke, finishing fifth, after being beaten by another transgender swimmer who is transitioning from female to male. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the team was not really about questions of sporting fairness. In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. 148.72.209.19 British Olympic swimmer and silver medallist Sharron Davies also argued Thomas shouldn't be allowed to compete in female swimming. [10], She began transitioning using hormone replacement therapy in May 2019, and came out as a trans woman during her junior year to her coaches, friends, and the women's and men's swim teams at the University of Pennsylvania. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. At the time, the NCAA required that transgender athletes have one year of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to be cleared to participate. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. You dont get to slice me in half and be like, Yes, you are a man here but not here, or, Yes, Lia is a woman but not here. We dont exist in parts. Fierce Debate In the 2016-2017 season, Thomas's 2021-2022 time would have ranked her 12th. Despite her success this year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her transition. See all. University of Pennsylvania swimmer and newly anointed national champion Lia Thomas has found herself at the center of America's debate over transgender One day after finishing third behind Thomas and Virginia Cavaliers star Emma Weyant, Sullivan penned an op-ed for Newsweek, in. Another of Thomas' teammates reportedly told Outkick that other swimmers on the UPenn team are often upset and cry, knowing Thomas will beat them. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas reportedly made an arrogant comment about how "easy" one of her races against female opposition was. 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