"I will not stop bringing these actual facts into the light or be bullied into silence. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. 2. RELATED: U. Penn Swimmer Lia Thomas 'Couldn't Get out of Bed' Before Coming Out as Transgender. Did you encounter any technical issues? Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. [25] Thomas was 9.18 seconds short of Katie Ledecky's NCAA record of 4:24.06. 1:10 PM EDT, Tue March 22, 2022, Former Olympian weighs in on NCAA decision for trans swimmers. "It means the world to be here, be with two "With this letter, we express our support for Lia Thomas, and all transgender college athletes, who deserve to be able to participate in safe and. But its its its its hard. Lia Thomas, supported and criticized by the swimming world. In 2017, she began studying at the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated in May 2022. Her hair nestled alongside the medal around her neck as a blue University of Pennsylvania jacket hung from her broad swimmers shoulders. Yes, Lia Thomas had a surgical transformation from a boy to a girl. 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. Henig, who is transitioning to male but hasn't begun hormone . For more information, please see our See all. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly! Jenner has claimed that Thomas wasn't the rightful winner of the 500-yard freestyle final at the NCAA college championships. CollegeSwimming National Swimmer-of-the-Week. On March 3, Iowa became the 11th state to pass a law forbidding trans women from competing in women's sporting events. NISCA All-America. National Education Association Political Contributions, [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. Aqua Sphere Seal Kid 2 Blue Lens, In a phone call with CNN, Hogshead-Makar said its important to consider why we have womens sports in the first place. Thomas defeated Virginia freshman Emma Weyant by 1.75. I hope you'll consider taking it down or changing the wording. Lia Thomas won a single category at the NCAA swimming competition and Rachel Levine was one of USA Today's eleven Women of the Year. [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". 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. 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. 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. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. The only other season she would have gotten the fastest time was in 2019 to 2020. When Thomas first decided to come out, she reached out to Bailar on Instagram for guidance about how to move forward with her swimming career, Bailar said. She has some people hearing the "Jaws" theme in their head because she's trans and swims fast. 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. 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. [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. Choose Color style [12][13][2], Thomas lost muscle mass and strength through testosterone suppression and hormone replacement therapy. The Department of Justice this past June said that laws in Arkansas and West Virginia that prevent athletes who were born as men from competing in women's sports were unconstitutional. Last month she wrote the letter, purportedly on behalf of 16 unnamed Penn swimmers, who said Thomas had an unfair advantage. 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. By Alan Blinder. Previously, Lia competed for the school's men's team as Will Thomas for 3 years before joining in a women's team. There, she dominated the womens field in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, and 1,650-yard freestyle races, beating the second place finisher by about 7 seconds, 15 seconds and 38 seconds, respectively. [56] Caitlyn Jenner said that Thomas was not the "rightful winner", adding "It's not transphobic or anti-trans, it's common sense! Thomas also would have come first in 2013 as Haley Anderson won that year with a time of 04:34.66. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas had a pretty dominant performance at the Ivy League Championships this week. 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. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. DeSantis proclaimed a Florida resident the 'rightful winner. Thomas is currently the fastest female swimmer in the United States and is following all competition rules, but Twitter is bashing her. 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. 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. 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. 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. [14][15] Thomas's event progression peaked in 2019 for distance swimming, with a drop in times during the 202122 season. 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. 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. 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. Cookie Notice ', "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? There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet The policy for elite student swimmers and divers was, according to a press release posted online Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, warms up before swimming for the University of. The anonymous teammate letter did not go unanswered. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas completes historic win Swimming next to her in lane 5, Stanford's Brooke Forde stayed within half a. Lia Thomas Swims to Victory Under. 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. In the finals for the 100 freestyle, Thomas placed eighth out of eight competitors in 48.18 seconds, finishing last. She won first place in March 2022 despite controversy over her being biologically male. At a meet including Princeton and Cornell on Nov. 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. One spectator directly called out transgender swimmer Lia Thomas before he crushed his female competitors. 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. 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. [17][18] According to an archived page of the swimming data website Swimcloud, Thomas was ranked 89th among male college swimmers for that season. She is not even the lone trans athlete to win a race in the same pool at Harvard. Her event progression for sprint swimming reflected a dip at the start of 202122 season before returning to near-lifetime bests in the 100 free and a lifetime personal best in the 50 free in 2021. Still, she said she was in a better head space after coming out. 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. The University of Pennsylvania's transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas, was defeated by another transgender swimmer. 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 Ivy League canceled its 2020-21 season due to the . In the 2016-2017 season, Thomas's 2021-2022 time would have ranked her 12th. As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . 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. Lia Thomas, whose real name is William, took a huge lead in the second half of the race and finished in 4 minutes, 37.32 seconds, which is three seconds better than his personal best and three-tenths of a second faster than the pool record. 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. A mediocre swimmer when she competed against males, she became a superstar in the pool against women after she swapped genders. 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. At the age of 5, the passion to swim popped up and so started training. Thomas is currently 22 years old. appreciated. USA Swimming issues new policy on elite transgender athletes. Period. The debate has also reached the political benches. British Olympic swimmer and silver medallist Sharron Davies also argued Thomas shouldn't be allowed to compete in female swimming. Lia Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer and was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania. Pool and open water. One man exclaimed "cheater" seconds before a 500Y race began, in a dig at the University of Pennsylvania swimmer. So after a year of HRT, Thomas submitted medical documentation and was approved to compete for the womens team for the 2020-21 season, she said. Lia Thomas ended an intense week of scrutiny with a hug. " Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1998/1999) is an American swimmer and student at the University of Pennsylvania. Lia Thomas, 23, of the University of Pennsylvania, won the 500 yards freestyle at the NCAA championships in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday. In relation to sport-related physical activity, this review found the lack of inclusive and comfortable environments to be the primary barrier to participation for transgender people, the authors wrote. 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. I immediately reacted and attempted to stretch the legbut my body just wasn't responding. I don't know what to say. She participated as Will. 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. Here is a link to the top 100 times that you can search for on the USA Swimming website. 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. 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. Lia Thomas is not the first trans swimmer in the N.C.A.A., but her victories have put her at the center of a debate about trans athletes. Lia Thomas shattered even more records during a "Being trans has not affected my ability to do this sport and being able to continue is very rewarding." [26] In the preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas finished second. 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. 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. With this letter, we express our support for Lia Thomas, and all transgender college athletes, who deserve to be able to participate in safe and welcoming athletic environments, the letter said. In that interview, she nodded in the direction of the controversy but did not engage. The Ivy League and the University of Pennsylvania issued statements in support of Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer whose recent record-breaking wins put her. I immediately reacted and attempted to stretch the legbut my body just wasn't responding. Please wait, loading. 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. "[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. 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. [2][8] After her freshman year at college, during the summer of 2018, she came out as transgender to her family. [4] In 2017, she started attending the University of Pennsylvania. Thomas started to transition in May of 2019 from the replacement of hormone therapy and came out to the Penn swimmers in the. In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. 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 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. Trans swimmer Lia Thomas sharing glory with trans man flips hateful double standard on its head. 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. Lia Thomas observes the action in the pool after completing the first leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay on Wednesday. Days later, over 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response. Lia Thomas. 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