Collegiate women's swimming and diving kicked off its NCAA Division I championships on March 16, and the season has been rife with controversy over Lia Thomas, the first A few weeks before the championships, USA Swimming announced new standards for transitioning swimmers; transgender. Looking at the last 10 NCAA free title races, in the 500-yard freestyle category, Thomas would have only come first in two of those races over the last 10 years. Lia Thomas. They started happening and ramping up after the first COVID vaccinations. "And we're talking about, this person's gonna swim on every relay going forward at championship meets, is going to take the position of a woman on a Thomas who competed for three years on the University of Pennsylvania Men's Swim Team has dominated women's collegiate swimming. In addition, over 300 current and former swimmers, collegiate and elite, signed their names to an open letter defending her ability to compete. 2017. Thomas' time was a season best and a little more than 9. [5] CollegeSwimming National Swimmer-of-the-Week. [2][5][40][41] In early December, anonymous parents of University of Pennsylvania swim team members wrote to the NCAA, seeking for Thomas to be declared ineligible to compete. 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. Cy Stephens Ticket Office Hours, CNNs Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report. 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. Thomas was a good swimmer for the men's team, posting the Quakers . Discovery Company. 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. She won first place in March 2022 despite controversy over her being biologically male. Lia Thomas is a transsexual woman. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images). Still, she said she was in a better head space after coming out. I immediately reacted and attempted to stretch the legbut my body just wasn't responding. 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. Transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas was crushed twice in a women's swim meet by another transgender competitor who is (R) University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas had caused controversy for shattering multiple records at women's swim meets and wiping out opponents. CollegeSwimming National Swimmer-of-the-Week. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Lia Thomas 10 Personal Facts, Biography, Wiki. I read that and I cried, he told CNN on Friday morning at a coffee shop in Somerville, Massachusetts. [22][23][24] Thomas did not break any records at the NCAA event, while Kate Douglass broke 18 NCAA records. 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 . In most of those previous years, her fastest time would only have got her to second at the most, and in one year she would have come as low as 12th. Lia Thomas is a transsexual woman. Thomas swims in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly! Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas completes historic win, National Education Association Political Contributions. A mediocre swimmer when she competed against males, she became a superstar in the pool against women after she swapped genders. The organization also proposed an open competition category.. Her hair nestled alongside the medal around her neck as a blue University of Pennsylvania jacket hung from her broad swimmers shoulders. What did you think about Lia Thomas competing today as a swimmer in this competition? Her face has been prominently featured on Fox News and right-wing news sites critical of societys changing views on sex and gender. [25] Thomas was 9.18 seconds short of Katie Ledecky's NCAA record of 4:24.06. And it was not long before female swimmers raised their voice. Being born in the family of literals Education and prosperity has been a sole purpose to follow, but I have chosen a different path for my life. Thomas first launched into the public eye with a stunning performance at the Zippy Invitational in Ohio in December. Nancy Hogshead-Makar sees eligibility rules as vital to the continued success of womens sports. Hungry Shark Arena Ubisoft, "[2], Thomas began swimming on the men's team at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, and during her freshman year, recorded a time of 8 minutes and 57.55 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle that ranked as the sixth-fastest national men's time, as well as 500-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle times ranked within the national top 100. Penn's Lia Thomas swims under water. 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. Despite her success this year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her transition. Reporter: You're a Virginia Tech swimmer. [32], In June 2022, the International Swimming Federation (FINA), an organization that administers international aquatic sports competitions, voted to bar all transgender athletes from competing in professional women's swimming, with the exception of athletes who "can establish to FINA's comfortable satisfaction that they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 (of puberty) or before age 12, whichever is later", barring Thomas from competing in the women's competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics as she had planned. She has some people hearing the "Jaws" theme in their head because she's trans and swims fast. Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas beat out a silver medal Olympian to win the 500 freestyle national championship. Lia Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers shakes hands with a competitor. 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. 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. Updated In her freshmen year, she posted the 6th fastest time in the men's 1000 freestyle. [26] In the preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas finished second. 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. Thomas finished first in the race in Atlanta on Thursday, with her time of 4. But its its its its hard. Swimming next to her in lane 5, Stanford's Brooke Forde stayed within half a. Luca's Restaurant Somerset, One man exclaimed "cheater" seconds before a 500Y race began, in a dig at the University of Pennsylvania swimmer. Seconds after edging Yale's Iszac Henig to win the 100-meter freestyle title at the Ivy League After taking a moment to towel off, the transgender swimmer for Penn turned to her right and embraced Henig, a transgender man who swims for Yale's. Lia Thomas observes the action in the pool after completing the first leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay on Wednesday. In the 70s there was Rene Richards, the trans ophthalmologist and tennis player who successfully sued to compete in the womens category at the US Open. 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. Thomas also . Pool and open water. Yales Iszac Henig, a transgender man, won the 50-yard freestyle in a pool-record 21.93 seconds on Thursday and came in a close second to Thomas in the 100-yard freestyle. Cookie Notice By Alan Blinder. 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. Thomas, 22, kicked off the three-day event, held at the University of Akron, strong in the preliminaries Friday. As. Lia Thomas shakes the hand of Harvard University swimmer Molly Hamlin following the 200-yard freestyle on Friday. ", "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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. [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. We expected there would be some measure of pushback by some people. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Boston (CNN) 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 League's green photo backdrop. Click to reveal Some of these examples have become particularly high-profile. "I'm not a man. Thomas, a biological male living as a woman, ended the race with a season-best of 4:33.24, beating out female Virginia freshman swimmer Emma Weyant (4:34.99) and Erica. No votes so far! Dominant University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas wants to compete beyond college. [43][44] In February 2022, sixteen anonymous members of the University of Pennsylvania women's swimming team sent a letter to the university and Ivy League officials asking them not to take legal action against the NCAA's proposed transgender athlete policy that could prevent Thomas from competing in the NCAA championships, and said that Thomas's rank "bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female". 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. Thomas has not spoken publicly since an interview with the SwimSwam podcast in December. Conservative Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, In a column on the matter for the conservative, Gutting IRS Will Help Wealthy Avoid More Taxes | Opinion, Eliminating Income Tax Means More Money for Americans | Opinion. And the waves she makes are only going to get bigger when she dives into the pool at the NCAA championships on. 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. [2] She graduated in 2022 and plans to attend law school, pursuing a career as a civil rights attorney. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the team was not really about questions of sporting fairness. Davies revealed on Twitter on Wednesday that she had received several threats after sharing her opinion. It was a lot of unease, about basically just feeling trapped in my body. 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 NCAA allows trans men to compete on the womens team so long as they have not had hormone therapy. For more information, please see our Newsweek analysed the last 10 seasons' fastest times in the women's 500-yard freestyle, as well as the fastest times in the NCAA championship women's 500-yard freestyle for the last decade, using data from SwimCloud. 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. The trans athlete at the center of a media firestorm is eyeing the Olympics after she graduates. DeSantis proclaimed a Florida resident the 'rightful winner. Thomas is ranked 36th among female college swimmers in the United States for the 20212022 season and 46th among women swimmers nationally. 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. 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