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. In the women's 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas came first with a time of 04:33.24. Transgender swimmer Leah Thomas, Yale transgender swimmer Isaac Henig transforms from female to male in the 100 freestyle race on January 8. Trans swimmer Lia Thomas sharing glory with trans man flips hateful double standard on its head. In the women's 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas came first with a time of 04:33.24. 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. But it's it's it's it's hard. Despite her success this year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her transition. The NCAA allows trans men to compete on the womens team so long as they have not had hormone therapy. She would have finished first again in 2021, as Paige Madden won that with a time of 04:34.61. So people that claim otherwise are either intentionally malicious or just plain ignorant. [14][15] Thomas's event progression peaked in 2019 for distance swimming, with a drop in times during the 202122 season. Before her transition, she competed for three years at Penn as a man, named Will Thomas. ", "Penn's Transgender Swimmer Lost to Yale's Transgender Swimmer in a Hotly Contested Women's Ivy League 100 meter Race", "Amid trans athlete debate, Penn's Lia Thomas loses to trans Yale swimmer", "Thomas first transgender athlete to win D-I title", "Thomas wins US collegiate swimming title", "Swimmer Lia Thomas becomes NCAA's first transgender D-I champion in any sport", "Why the data shows trans swimming champion Lia Thomas didn't have an unfair advantage", "Iszac Henig, Lia Thomas are All-Americans in women's 100-free", "Transgender swimmer finishes last in final college race", "What Lia Thomas Could Mean for Women's Elite Sports", "Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out about backlash, future plans to compete", "Penn swimmer Lia Thomas opens up about being the 1st transgender D-I athlete to win an NCAA title", "Transgender women swimmers barred from female competitions by Fina", "FINA vote restricts transgender athletes in women's competitions", "Transgender swimmers barred from women's events", "Lia Thomas barred from competing in women's events after swimming body's transgender vote", "FINA to restrict trans women from elite races", "Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas nominated for NCAA 2022 Woman of the Year Award", "Lia Thomas nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year, sparking praise and backlash", "Penn Parents Express Further Concerns Over Lia Thomas Competing On Women's Team", "Anti-trans panic comes to an Ivy League pool", "Official Cynthia Millen Quits, Protesting Lia Thomas' Swimming Participation", "A transgender college swimmer is shattering records, sparking a debate over fairness", "Lia Thomas succeeding from 'hard work' not because she's transgender, Penn Law groups say", "16 UPenn swimmers ask school not to challenge transgender policy that could block teammate Lia Thomas from competing", "Sixteen Penn swimmers say transgender teammate Lia Thomas should not be allowed to compete", "A trio of college swimmers show support for Lia Thomas", "Why I'm proud to support trans athletes like Lia Thomas", "Michael Phelps Weighs in on Lia Thomas Controversy", "Nancy Hogshead-Makar Explains Problems With Lia Thomas Situation", "Trans swimmer Lia Thomas winning NCAA title should spark legitimate debate, not hate", "Lia Thomas becomes 1st known transgender woman to win NCAA swimming title", "Protestors Against Lia Thomas Stand Outside & Attend Women's NCAA Championship", "17th-Place Finisher in 500 Reka Gyorgy Pens Letter to NCAA on Transgender Rules", "DeSantis rejects transgender swimmer Lia Thomas's NCAA victory", "Boebert, GOP lawmakers introduce resolution honoring second-place swimmer in Lia Thomas race", "Twitter reacts: Caitlyn Jenner plays women's golf but says trans girls should be banned from sports", "Caitlyn Jenner says trans swimmer Lia Thomas is not the 'rightful winner' of NCAA title", "Bucking Republican Trend, Indiana Governor Vetoes Transgender Sports Bill", "Louisiana Becomes Latest State To Ban Transgender Athletes In Schools", "A demand to define 'woman' injects gender politics into Jackson's confirmation hearings", "Trans athletes become campaign flashpoint for GOP", "Trans swimming champion Lia Thomas finishes college career", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lia_Thomas&oldid=1133875132, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia temporarily semi-protected biographies of living people, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Championship, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 23:15. Thomas's best time in the 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24. Source: Vimbuzz.com ", while social media users responded by pointing out Jenner has previously expressed support for transgender athletes and has competed in women's golf. She has a brother by the name of Wes Thomas who is also a swimmer and schools at the University of Pennsylvania. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. [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. The trans athlete at the center of a media firestorm is eyeing the Olympics after she graduates. NCAA's 'sport-by-sport approach to transgender participation' stirs debate. 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. 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. 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. She took the year off of school and competitive swimming due to the pandemic and returned for this season on the womens team, after about 2 and a half years of HRT. Swimming is the latest sport to become embroiled in discord but there are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. the right thing and admit that they were wrong & that much more has to go into this before people like Lia can. 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. "I will not stop bringing these actual facts into the light or be bullied into silence. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas received some hostility from the crowd after she became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history by winning the women's 500-yard freestyle. Lia Thomas, a 22-year old transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, has been shattering women's records at the school. Lia Thomas competed for three years at Penn as a man -- Will Thomas -- before the transition. 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. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas reportedly made an arrogant comment about how "easy" one of her races against female opposition was. 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. Lia Thomas Swimmer ranking before and after Lia Thomas used to be ranked 554th in the 200 freestyle, 65th in the 500 freestyle and 32nd in the 1650 freestyle in Penn men's championship which was held in 2018/19. 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. 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. [7], Towards the end of high school, Thomas began to question her gender identity. 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. 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. Nov 28. The identities of the teammates were not revealed, and CNN has not been able to independently verify the number of teammates. The next year, Thomas took second place at the 2019 Ivy League championships in the mens 500-yard, 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle, shaving seconds off her earlier times. He pointed out that trans people are actually underrepresented in sports. On March 3, Iowa became the 11th state to pass a law forbidding trans women from competing in women's sporting events. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Did you encounter any technical issues? Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas completes historic win Apparently, there were multiple fans who cheered on Thomas as. I belong to a place situated at the head of The India, The City of temples, the city of love and passion, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. "[43], In January 2022, the University of Pennsylvania, multiple organizations affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the Ivy League issued statements supporting Thomas. Thomas first launched into the public eye with a stunning performance at the Zippy Invitational in Ohio in December. 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. I am a 18-year-old teen who loves sports ? Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. The anonymous teammate letter did not go unanswered. A 22-year-old" (Getty/ Hunter Martin). Please wait, loading. Austin, TX. and our Aqua Sphere Seal Kid 2 Blue Lens, Lia Thomas shakes the hand of Harvard University swimmer Molly Hamlin following the 200-yard freestyle on Friday. Lia Thomas, supported and criticized by the swimming world. Her hair nestled alongside the medal around her neck as a blue University of Pennsylvania jacket hung from her broad swimmers shoulders. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Thomas raced as Will Thomas during her first three years at Pennsylvania and in 2019 was ranked outside the top 500 men in the US. Its very complicated.. [16], In the 20182019 season she was, when competing in the men's team, ranked 554 in the 200 freestyle, 65 in the 500 freestyle, and 32 in the 1650 freestyle. 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 her freshmen year, she posted the 6th fastest time in the men's 1000 freestyle. Our transness is not something we can just take off and put over here. Transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas has spoken out about the anti-trans hostility she has faced as an athlete. Dealing With Youth Sports Parents, 2023 Cable News Network. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas reportedly made an arrogant comment about how "easy" one of her races against female opposition was. Earlier that same year, swimmer Lia Thomas sparked a national debate after becoming the first trans athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship. Lia Thomas after finishing the 200-yard freestyle for the University of Pennsylvania at a swim meet against Harvard University. The only other season she would have gotten the fastest time was in 2019 to 2020. For over a decade, the NCAA has required transgender women to be on testosterone suppression treatment for a year before they are allowed to compete on the womens team. The letter also indicated they believe sex should be considered separately from gender identity during competition. However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someones gender identity.. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read the deep dive on Trans swimmer Will Thomas at ESPN Lia can be anything she wants, but it's garbage to think it's fair for her to compete against the other girls in women's sports - and she knows that. Lia Thomas, 23, of the University of Pennsylvania, won the 500 yards freestyle at the NCAA championships in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday. At a meet including Princeton and Cornell on Nov. Thomas and Henig embraced in the moments after the race. Yet in January, a month after Thomas record-setting pace at the Invitational, the NCAA said it would take a sport-by-sport approach to its rules on transgender athletes participation and defer to each sports national governing body. Having already come out to her family and friends, Ms Thomas began hormone replacement therapy in 2019 despite concerns about how it might affect her body and ability. In her freshmen year, she posted the 6th fastest time in the men's 1000 freestyle. And the waves she makes are only going to get bigger when she dives into the pool at the NCAA championships on. Lia Thomas is not the first trans swimmer in the N.C.A.A., and her initial meets drew little attention. University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, center, qualified for Thursday's 500-yard final at the Washington (AFP) - Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was the fastest qualifier for Thursday's 500-yard freestyle final at the US collegiate women's swimming and diving championships in Atlanta. She was born a boy and underwent gender reassignment surgery to change her gender. Its about transphobia.. She would have finished first again in 2021, as Paige Madden won that with a time of 04:34.61. "I've received several threats to myself and my work because I present evidence based facts on the unfairness of male inclusion in women's sport," Davies said. lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after. 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. 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. Thomas' performance inside of the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender athletes this year. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, center, with teammates during warmup laps before a meet with Harvard on Saturday, Jan. Lia Thomas, 22, set new U.S. swimming records at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio over the weekend, according to the university. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. 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