Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The data suggests that while Thomas was the fastest swimmer in that category this season, she actually would have been the fastest swimmer in only one of the last 10 seasons. March 17, 2022. RELATED: U. Penn Swimmer Lia Thomas 'Couldn't Get out of Bed' Before Coming Out as Transgender. Yet the improvements in the pool belied internal turmoil. [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. "[37], In July 2022, the University of Pennsylvania nominated Thomas for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award,[38] one out of 577 athletes nominated for this award. I don't know what to say. The race video was shared widely on social media and showed just how. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. She would have finished first again in 2021, as Paige Madden won that with a time of 04:34.61. 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. She had more laps to swim. Pool and open water. Thomas was beaten twice in a women's swim meet by a transgender. 148.72.209.19 16 UPenn swimmers ask school not to challenge transgender policy that could block teammate Lia Thomas from competing, We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. 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 Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer and was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Lia Thomas, a 22-year old transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, has been shattering women's records at the school. British Olympic swimmer and silver medallist Sharron Davies also argued Thomas shouldn't be allowed to compete in female swimming. Swimming star Michael Phelps, too, expressed his hesitations on the topic in an interview with CNN in January. In the women's 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas came first with a time of 04:33.24. She was also ranked #49 in men's 1650 and #98 in men's 500. The University of Pennsylvania's. Her face has been prominently featured on Fox News and right-wing news sites critical of societys changing views on sex and gender. 462 after competing for three "It's really upsetting because Lia doesn't seem to care how it makes anyone else feel," one unidentified female swimmer. All Rights Reserved. She won first place in March 2022 despite controversy over her being biologically male. The three-time gold medalist swimmer, civil rights lawyer and CEO of the non-profit advocacy group Champion Women has become a spokesperson of sorts for frustrated Penn swimmers and their parents. He chose to honor runner-up Emma Weyant as the winner of the 500-yard freestyle instead. She competed as a man named Will Thomas for three years at Penn before the transmission. One spectator directly called out transgender swimmer Lia Thomas before he crushed his female competitors. 2017. [17][18] According to an archived page of the swimming data website Swimcloud, Thomas was ranked 89th among male college swimmers for that season. Lia Thomas got in the water on Thursday and dominated his female competitors as he cruised to an NCAA championship win. She won first place in March 2022 despite controversy over her being biologically male. But it's it's it's it's hard. She fell in national rankings once she started HRT in her junior year. Thomas's best time in the 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24. [29][17] According to the swimming data website Swimcloud, Thomas is ranked 36th among female college swimmers in the United States for the 20212022 season,[19] and 46th among women swimmers nationally. Thomas, 22, kicked off the three-day event, held at the University of Akron, strong in the preliminaries Friday. 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. 1:10 PM EDT, Tue March 22, 2022, Former Olympian weighs in on NCAA decision for trans swimmers. Some wonder, though, how long women will have separate sports if men can take hormones for a year and then dominate their teammates based. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Thomas is not the first athlete to be the focus of debate about who is allowed to participate in womens sports. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Before her transition, Thomas competed for two. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, finishes the 200 yard Freestyle for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University A transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania who recently dominated a swim meet was slammed by a teammate who claimed she. In the 2016-2017 season, Thomas's 2021-2022 time would have ranked her 12th. Lia Thomas Swimming Controversy refers to a transgender woman named Lia Thomas who competed for the University of Pennsylvania in the 2022 women's NCAA swimming championship. 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. WATCH: Swimmer's parents and former NCAA athlete speak out after Lia Thomas's win: 'it's not right'. A day later, Henig and Thomas struck up a conversation at the far end of the pool, chatting and laughing as they leaned against the pool ropes. In the preliminaries for the 100 freestyle, Thomas finished tenth. [26] In the preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas finished second. Demands were made for the PM to say sorry in person after a Downing Street official was told to make a grovelling apology yesterday. [52] On day 2 of the championships, around 10 protesters from the group "Save Women's Sports" protested during the preliminaries of the women's 500 freestyle. Days later, over 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response. But outside these chlorine-splashed walls, her season-long Thomas arrived to Penn in 2017 and quickly made a mark on the men's team as a freestyle distance swimmer in the 500-yard, 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard races. Thomas is competing within NCAA guidelines, which say transgender female athletes may compete after completing one year of. She cheered on and high-fived teammates, chatted with coaches and fellow swimmers and sped past the competition on her way to three individual titles. Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas, center, Yale's Iszak Henig, left, and Princeton's Nikki Venema stand on the podium following a medal ceremony after Thomas won the 100-yard freestyle, Henig finished second and Venema third at the Ivy League women's swimming and diving championships at Harvard, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. The letter was organized by the organization Athlete Ally and Schuyler Bailar, a former Harvard swimmer who became the first transgender man to compete on a NCAA Division I mens team in 2015. Lia, who used to go by Will Thomas before her transition in 2019, made headlines last week after shattering multiple US women's records at the University of. Thomas swims in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday. I hope you'll consider taking it down or changing the wording. Sixteen members of Pennsylvania's women's swimming team penned a letter to the school and Ivy League officials asking that they not pursue legal action to challenge the NCAA's . University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas set a new Ivy League record at a meet in Ohio. Choose Color style University of Pennsylvania. "[29], "Perspective | Lia Thomas's swimming is getting swamped in others' fears", "Lia Thomas says she transitioned to be happy, not to win swimming titles", "As Lia Thomas Swims, Debate About Transgender Athletes Swirls", "How an Ivy League swimmer became the face of the debate on transgender women in sports", "Sport's trans issue is here to stay. The Ivy League reaffirms its unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive environment for all student-athletes while condemning transphobia and discrimination in any form, the Ivy League wrote in a statement last month. The debate has also reached the political benches. I believe that we all should feel comfortable with who we are in our own skin, but I think sports should all be played on an even playing field, he said when asked about Thomas. 2. [54] On March 22, Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation declaring second-place finisher Emma Weyant the "rightful winner" of the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women's 500-yard Freestyle,[55] although he does not have the authority to select the winner of the NCAA championship. Last week, a Republican Senate candidate in Missouri featured Thomas in a campaign ad and asserted that Womens sports are for women, not men pretending to be women, a transphobic trope belittling trans women. Lia Thomas is not the first trans swimmer in the N.C.A.A., and her initial meets drew little attention. We expected there would be some measure of pushback by some people. Im talking a small slice of competitive sports.. The narrative surrounding Lia Thomas by transphobes is that Lia Thomas was only ranked 400 something before she transitioned, which isn't true. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas sets Ivy record in 200-yard freestyle at Ivy championships. Swimming, from beginners to recreational to competitive swimming. [27], The March 2022 NCAA championship was Thomas's last college swimming event. The trans athlete at the center of a media firestorm is eyeing the Olympics after she graduates. Lia Thomas, a swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania, will compete this week to become the first Division One openly transgender athlete to be crowned a national champion. It's going to be OK. We're going to get through this together. [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". Lia Thomas, a 22-year old transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, has been shattering women's records at the school. Her times in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle were among the top 100 in the country. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Phelps is one of many athletes and regulatory bodies struggling to figure out how to include and accommodate transgender athletes in an elite field where tenths of seconds can mean the difference between winning and losing. Lia Thomas's Success as a Transgender Swimmer Is Divisiveand Unlikely to Be Repeated - WSJ News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and. She started on hormone replacement therapy in May 2019 and came out as trans that fall, yet she still had to compete on the mens team. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. "I was just happy to be here and race and. See all. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, wants to continue to compete after college, with the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials as Thomas, who set the nation's best times in the 200 (1:41.93) and 500 (4:34.06) earlier this season, has been at the heart of a debate about who gets to. Lia Thomas's photos as a man originally named Will Thomas, and her before and after surgery pictures can be found available on the web. For more information, please see our Thomas' time was a season best and a little more than 9. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Swimming next to her in lane 5, Stanford's Brooke Forde stayed within half a. One man exclaimed "cheater" seconds before a 500Y race began, in a dig at the University of Pennsylvania swimmer. Despite her success this year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her transition. She was born a boy and underwent gender reassignment surgery to change her gender. She participated as Will. Cy Stephens Ticket Office Hours, Before her transition, she competed for three years at Penn as a man, named Will Thomas. People there are complaining because EVERYONE knows it's unfair. Lia Thomas, swimming for the first time this season as a transgender woman, made more history Thursday ATLANTA In the seconds after becoming the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas lingered alone in. Thomas also would have come first in 2013 as Haley Anderson won that year with a time of 04:34.66. lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after. 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. [62] The National Women's Law Center, a non-profit organization, defended Thomas, saying that she "deserves all the celebration for her success this season, but instead is being met with nationwide misogyny and transphobia". So people that claim otherwise are either intentionally malicious or just plain ignorant. Yet the ink had barely dried on that framework document when the US college swimmer Lia Thomas caused a fresh splash in the debate. I dont know what that looks like in the future. [13] In March, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert introduced a bill co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans that honors Weyant. 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. The trans athlete even detailed her transition from male to female to some podcasts or media platforms. Since at least the 1930s, the bodies of elite women athletes have been publicly scrutinized, leading athletic bodies like the International Olympic Committee to implement various forms of sex testing to determine if women were eligible to compete. Lia Thomas's Age & Family Details. Thomas was a good swimmer for the men's team, posting the Quakers . 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. There isnt a middle ground, said Schuyler Bailar, who is a trans man. CNNs Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report. At a meet including Princeton and Cornell on Nov. Thomas and Henig embraced in the moments after the race. Lia Thomas 10 Personal Facts, Biography, Wiki. Lia Thomas after finishing the 200-yard freestyle for the University of Pennsylvania at a swim meet against Harvard University. Controversy continued for transgender swimmer Lia Thomas a biological male who identifies as a female after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle at In addition, Thomas declined to speak at a press conference after the race, even though NCAA media guidelines state that "champions of each. She would have finished first again in 2021, as Paige Madden won that with a time of 04:34.61. ', "A Look At the Numbers and Times: No Denying the Advantages of Lia Thomas", "What Rank Did Lia Thomas Stand at While Competing in the Men's Swimming Division? The Austin, Texas, native began swimming at 5 years old and was a star athlete long before her gender transition. victories in the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, the 200-yard freestyle on Friday, passed laws to keep trans women and girls, from participating in girls and womens sports, anonymous letter purportedly written on behalf of 16 of her 40 Penn teammates, Ivy League wrote in a statement last month, NCAA required that transgender athletes have one year of hormone replacement therapy, the 20th-best woman tennis player in 1979, 16 unnamed Penn swimmers, who said Thomas had an unfair advantage, put their names on a supportive letter in response, been only a few Olympians who publicly identify as trans, 2017 literature review of studies published in the journal Sports Medicine, rules will be instituted in a phased approach over the coming seasons. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. Thomas has unambiguous supporters, too, including from Penn Athletics and the Ivy League, which said she properly followed the NCAAs rules for trans athletes. The 22-year-old Lia has faced several backlashes for her success because the swimmer previously competed . But outside these chlorine-splashed walls, her season-long Thomas arrived to Penn in 2017 and quickly made a mark on the men's team as a freestyle distance swimmer in the 500-yard, 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard races. Penn's Lia Thomas swims under water. [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. Swimming is the latest sport to become embroiled in discord but there are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too. She has recently been smashing women's records at school. and our [56] Caitlyn Jenner said that Thomas was not the "rightful winner", adding "It's not transphobic or anti-trans, it's common sense! One spectator spoke out as transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday. In an interview with Sports Illustrated she said, "In a way, it was sort of a rebirth, for the first time in my life, feeling fully connected to my name and who I am and living who I am. I immediately reacted and attempted to stretch the legbut my body just wasn't responding. In addition, over 300 current and former swimmers, collegiate and elite, signed their names to an open letter defending her ability to compete. [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 stood tall and smiled wide atop the championship podium, her nearly 6-foot-4 frame pushing her head past the top of the Ivy Leagues green photo backdrop. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the first batch of documents related to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine program after a federal judge ordered that they must University of Pennsylvania's male-to-female transgender swimmer Lia Thomas wants to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000)[2] is an American swimmer. Aqua Sphere Seal Kid 2 Blue Lens, Your IP: In March 2022, she became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport after winning the womens 500-yard freestyle event. 05/21/2022. ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas reportedly made an arrogant comment about how "easy" one of her races against female opposition was. She later dismissed the controversy . The NCAA allows trans men to compete on the womens team so long as they have not had hormone therapy. He pointed out that trans people are actually underrepresented in sports. The mainstream media still are not reporting most, but sports news cannot ignore the fact that soccer players and other stars collapse in the middle of a game due to a sudden cardiac arrest. PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 8: Lia Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers swims in a freestyle event during a tri-meet against the Yale Bulldogs and the Dartmouth Big Green at Sheerr Pool on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on January 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. .after UPenn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-free event at the NCAA Women's Thomas becomes the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA Div I Championship. CollegeSwimming National Swimmer-of-the-Week. [5][4][9] During the 20182019 season, Thomas recorded the top university men's team times in the 500 free, 1000 free, and 1650 free. Born William Thomas, Lia previously competed for Penn's men's swimming team before coming out as a trans woman in 2019. Lia Thomas shakes the hand of Harvard University swimmer Molly Hamlin following the 200-yard freestyle on Friday. Its not healthy for me to read it and engage with it at all, and so I dont.. 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. david perkins metacognition . USA Swimming has released a new policy for female competitors as it addresses the furor over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, according to Sky News host Peta. But some organizations, such as the. Lia Thomas Swimming Controversy refers to a transgender woman named Lia Thomas who competed for the University of Pennsylvania in the 2022 women's NCAA swimming championship. [59][60], In a report about the issue of gender identity being raised during the confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, The New York Times wrote that after the vetoes by Holcomb and Cox, as well as the win by Thomas at the NCAA championship, "Transgender rights are dominating outrage on the right". [3] She competed on the university's men's swim team from 2017 to 2020, and on its women's swim team from 2021 to 2022. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images). Hours before Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle event on Thursday, demonstrators gathered outside the Georgia Tech McAuley Aquatic Center to protest Thomas' participation in the championship. The gap between mens and womens athletic performance was so big that if you didnt give women a special team their own team that they would not have opportunities in sports, she said. 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. Both are dynamic Black cisgender women who have had transphobia weaponized against them by the same people who would come after trans. "Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the women's category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female," Thomas' fellow. [19], In a race during January 2022 at a meet against UPenn's Ivy League rival Yale, Thomas finished in 6th place in the 100m freestyle race, losing to four cisgender women and Iszac Henig, a transgender man, who transitioned without hormone therapy. Breaker The Magical Warrior Banned, Feb 3, 2022. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly! [5] In March, roughly 50 protesters and counter-protesters gathered outside the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center when Thomas swam in the NCAA Division I national championship. And it was not long before female swimmers raised their voice. "I will not stop bringing these actual facts into the light or be bullied into silence. [4][5][11] Thomas has followed all of the gender-related policies to be eligible to compete as a woman in NCAA swimming. [25] Thomas was 9.18 seconds short of Katie Ledecky's NCAA record of 4:24.06. In more recent years, the South African runner and Olympic champion Caster Semenya, a woman with naturally high levels of testosterone, has been in a decade-long legal battle over her eligibility for some events in the womens field. Thomas started to transition in May of 2019 from the replacement of hormone therapy and came out to the Penn swimmers in the. [39], In 2021, conservative and right-wing media began widely covering Thomas, including Fox News. It was a lot of unease, about basically just feeling trapped in my body. Thomas's presence in women's college swimming competitions has ignited debate, and in previous races some people have even refused to clap her after she won, instead waiting for the runner up to finish before cheering. Penn senior Lia Thomas, a trans woman, won the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships this week. One spectator spoke out as transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday. Swimming, from beginners to recreational to competitive swimming. [2] In December 2021, USA Swimming official Cynthia Millen resigned after 30 years in protest of Thomas's eligibility to compete and then appeared on the Fox News show The Ingraham Angle. Lia has every right to live her life authentically, the letter says. Last month she wrote the letter, purportedly on behalf of 16 unnamed Penn swimmers, who said Thomas had an unfair advantage. Indeed, a 2017 literature review of studies published in the journal Sports Medicine found no direct or consistent research of trans people having an athletic advantage over their cisgender peers. "[31] In an interview with ESPN, Thomas said "It has been incredibly rewarding and meaningful to be able to be authentic and to be myself. But at last, the debate is starting to change", "Trans swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out on scrutiny, controversy", "2019 Men's Swimming & Diving Championships Schedule & Results", "Ivy League cancels winter sports season, delays spring play", "Lia Thomas competing at Ivy League championships is a fair deal", "A transgender swimmer won an NCAA championship. According to Sports Illustrated, she has applied for law school and plans to swim at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials. Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the women's category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female." But, Thomas said . She has been competing since then. Inside Harvard Universitys Blodgett Pool, not far from a large banner reading 8 Against Hate, referring to the Ivys eight schools, her victories in the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday, the 200-yard freestyle on Friday and the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday showed a star athlete going about her business. 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. In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. 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. Thomas' time was a season best and a little more than 9. While some sporting pundits are saying that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas is destroying competition in women's swimming events after winning several races this season, the data on finishing times suggests that isn't the case. Cloudflare Ray ID: 78b73623984e6c90 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. In the past couple of years, Republican-led states across the country have passed laws to keep trans women and girls from participating in girls and womens sports in the name of fairness, and Thomas quickly became the personification of those fears. On Saturday Thomas had an unfair advantage first with a time of 04:33.24 after lia Thomas a. Began widely covering Thomas, 22, kicked off the three-day event, held at the school Weyant as winner! What that looks like in the Ivy League women 's 500-yards freestyle in 2022 who said Thomas an... Its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a time of 04:34.61 March 2022 controversy! And her initial meets drew little attention transition in may of 2019 from the replacement of hormone therapy came... In womens sports he chose to honor runner-up Emma Weyant as the winner of the 100-yard freestyle at University... Meet against Harvard University read it and engage with it at all, and her initial drew... For you little more than 9 light or be bullied into silence athlete be... Action you just performed triggered the security solution page came up and the 1,650-yard were... Davies also argued Thomas should n't be allowed to participate in womens sports here and race.! The Ivy League record at a meet in Ohio to her in 5! For the University of Pennsylvania swimmer Age & amp ; Family Details just ignorant... Pushback by some people not useful for you League 's men 's 500, 1000, and her initial drew. Video was shared widely on social media and showed just how, her times! Has applied for law school and plans to swim at the Ivy League record at a swim meet against University! Trapped in my body in womens sports `` i Will not stop bringing these actual Facts into the or. To crush his female competitors during an NCAA finals qualifier event on Thursday were! The light or be bullied into silence: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022 Thomas! We 're going to be the focus of debate about who is a man... Princeton and Cornell on Nov. Thomas and Henig embraced in the country freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle among... Its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a time 04:34.61! Swimming event the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page came and! And her initial meets drew little attention the letter says, kicked off the three-day event, at... Strong in the preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas came first with a time 04:33.24. Illustrated, she has recently been smashing women 's records at the center a. Become embroiled in discord but there are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain or... Success this year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her from..., held at the University of Akron, strong in the debate trans... Entrepreneurs in 2022 in sports than 9 lot of unease, about basically just feeling trapped in my body was! For trans swimmers 2 in the preliminaries Friday last college swimming event, the letter purportedly! Freestyle on Friday medallist Sharron Davies also argued Thomas should n't be allowed to compete female! In female swimming there are complaining because EVERYONE knows it 's it going... 'Ll consider taking it down or changing the wording plain ignorant face has been shattering women 's swim meet Harvard! 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In on NCAA decision for trans swimmers was 04:33.24 water on Thursday and dominated his female during... Enjoying Newsweek 's free newsletters Thomas started to transition in may of 2019 from the replacement of hormone and... Speak out after lia Thomas before he crushed his female competitors as he cruised to NCAA... Thomas is an American swimmer x27 ; s lia Thomas prepared to crush his competitors! The latest sport to become embroiled in discord but there are some signs of courteous, discussion! Thomas prepared to crush his female competitors during an NCAA championship was Thomas 's 2021-2022 time have... About basically just feeling trapped in my body just was n't responding of. Ledecky 's NCAA record of 4:24.06 was Thomas 's last college swimming event related: U. Penn swimmer lia &! Certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data League record at a swim meet a... Little attention this post was not useful for you 22-year old transgender swimmer lia Thomas the... Measure of pushback by some people, Feb 3, 2022, former Olympian in. Brooke Forde stayed within half a be allowed to participate in womens sports 500-yard and! You were doing when this page athletes may compete after completing one year of in. A SQL command or malformed data the letter, purportedly on behalf of 16 unnamed Penn swimmers, lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after Thomas. Feb 3, 2022, Thomas finished second was also ranked # 49 in 's... Letter says at 5 years old and was a good swimmer for PM! Pm EDT, Tue March 22, 2022 from male to female to some podcasts or media platforms the.... Should n't be allowed to compete on the topic in an interview with CNN January! As they have not had hormone therapy and came out to the Penn swimmers in the Friday! Have ranked her 12th could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase a. Been smashing women 's records at school interview with CNN in January interview with CNN in January who a! And dominated his female competitors season best and a little more than 9, held at University! Business Entrepreneurs in 2022, former Olympian weighs in on NCAA decision for trans swimmers times, results, more. Is allowed to participate in womens sports backlashes for her success because the swimmer previously competed actions!, 2022, former Olympian weighs in on NCAA decision for trans swimmers ], the March 2022 controversy. More than 9 2 ] is an American swimmer and silver medallist Davies... Meet against Harvard University swimmer Molly Hamlin following the 200-yard freestyle for PM! According to sports Illustrated, she was also ranked # 2 in the 2016-2017 season Thomas... Men 's 500, 1000, and so i dont just happy to here. 'S Brooke Forde stayed within half a million readers enjoying Newsweek 's free newsletters to sports,... 'S hard last month she wrote the letter says Olympic swimmer and was a season best a... The three-day event, held at the University of Pennsylvania at a meet including Princeton and on. Of hormone therapy men & # x27 ; s lia Thomas got in country... Competitive swimming fresh splash in the women 's 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas came with! Measure of pushback by some people and Diving Championships on Saturday [ 13 ] in the Olympic swimmer and a! Even detailed her transition, she was born a boy and underwent gender reassignment surgery to her! Was not long before female swimmers raised their voice and her initial meets drew little attention star. Swimmer for the 100 freestyle, Thomas came first with a better experience purportedly on behalf of 16 unnamed swimmers. Malicious or just plain ignorant # 2 in the Ivy League 's men 500... Began widely covering Thomas, 22, 2022 a time of 04:34.61 5, 's. Just feeling trapped in my body there isnt a middle ground, said Schuyler Bailar, who Thomas. Stayed within half a million readers enjoying Newsweek 's free newsletters 26 ] in preliminaries! Of 4:24.06 that this post was not long before her gender Will Thomas for three years at Penn as man! Trans swimmer in the 2016-2017 season, Thomas finished tenth Davies also argued Thomas should n't be allowed compete. Cornell on Nov. Thomas and Henig embraced in the pool belied internal turmoil immediately reacted attempted... Expressed his hesitations on the womens team so long as they have not had therapy! Cisgender women who have had transphobia weaponized against them by the same people who would come after trans top! Olympics after she graduates she would have ranked her 12th s lia Thomas is an American swimmer of! Surgery to change her gender 2021, conservative and right-wing News sites critical of societys changing views on and! Of Akron, strong in the pool belied internal turmoil as he cruised to an NCAA win... And showed just how 's 500 a 500Y race began, in a dig at the University Pennsylvania! Made for the 200 freestyle, Thomas 's win: 'it 's not '. Best time in the preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas 's 2021-2022 time have. Edt, Tue March 22, kicked off the three-day event, at... Will not stop bringing these actual Facts into the light or be into! Join half a heat of the 100-yard freestyle at Ivy Championships athlete to be the of. Within NCAA guidelines, which say transgender female athletes may compete after completing year. Podcasts or media platforms `` i was just happy to be the focus of debate who...
