I read that and I cried, he told CNN on Friday morning at a coffee shop in Somerville, Massachusetts. 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. Her sports achievements as a trans woman became a topic of discussion in 2021. But Thomas, from the University of Pennsylvania, has broken no rules. james spann retiring; keith baldrey illness; ampm car wash membership; trina solar panel recall [30] According to Sports Illustrated, she has applied for law school and planned to swim at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials. Were made for the 200 freestyle, Thomas came first with a time of.! By January 2022, well-known athletes and the mainstream media began voicing their opinions and reporting about her. Most of us started the same time Lia did, as pre-teens. Story coming! Thomas' best time in the 200 freestyle ended up being her 1:41.93 mark from the Zippy Invitational in December. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas ties for 5th place in NCAA Nationals. Castrate this MAN as soon as possible, However ,he will still be a Man cheating and destroying hopes and dreams of young girls and women whove made incredible progress under Title 9. The Ivy League, the University of Pennsylvania, and other groups linked with the University of Pennsylvania Law School all published statements in favor of Thomas. I am a student and a blogger all alone, Gurmeet. Thomas has unambiguous supporters, too, including from Penn Athletics and the Ivy League, which said she properly followed the NCAAs rules for trans athletes. 01:31. Required fields are marked *. This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would affect minors the most. We just celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000) is an American swimmer. [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. Lia Thomas (born 1998/1999) is a University of Pennsylvania student and a swimmer. On Thursday, 16 members of the Penn Women's Swimming Team sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania and the Ivy League asking them to refrain from suing the NCAA over its new Athlete Inclusion Policies that would bar Lia Thomas, formerly known as Will Thomas, from participating in the NCAA championships in March. Trans swimmer Lia Thomas sharing glory with trans man flips hateful double standard on its head. 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. Swimmer then underwent testosterone suppression treatment for over two and a half years to loved. Days later, over 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response. Her critics say that Thomas created an unfair advantage in the women's field and used her low rankings as a male competitor to her being the tops in her field as a female as evidence. "[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. USA Swimming issues new policy on elite transgender athletes. Penn's Lia Thomas swims under water. But even those that swim different events than Lia or were not in contention to make the Ivy Championships, we stand by our teammates who have lost out. University men 's swimming and Diving championships on Saturday after the first COVID vaccinations Father| is gay| Wikipedia, Hadwin To crush his female competitors star athlete long before female swimmers raised their voice with the SwimSwam podcast December. A teammate of Lia Thomas has spoken out against the transgender swimmer, saying she "was not even close" to being competitive . 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. Nancy Hogshead-Makar sees eligibility rules as vital to the continued success of womens sports. Getty Images. 2. It allows trans women to compete on NCAA womens teams after completing a one-year testosterone suppression programme. According to SwimSwam, Thomas "blasted the number one 200 free time and the second-fastest 500 free time in the nation on Saturday, breaking Penn . We have trained up to 20 hours a week, swimming miles, running and lifting weights. In particular, we appreciate USAS Guidelines guiding purpose, to ensure that transgender women competing in the Female competition category do not have an unfair advantage over their cisgender Female competitors in Elite Events. (USAS, page 42, #6 (a)). She has posted the fastest times of the season in the 200 and 500. Thomas Lia was a male swimmer who ranked number 462 according to claims. Thomas defeated Virginia freshman Emma Weyant by 1.75. I know they are friends and I know they are talking before they meet. 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. Lia Thomas is scheduled to compete in three events this week at the NCAA championships: the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle. Penn swimmer, Lia Thomas, who entered the NCAA women's swimming and diving championships as the top seed, had a season-best time of 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle on March 17, 2022. . They claim that Thomas ranked 462 as a male swimmer but now ranks 1 as a female swimmer. Its policies toward transgender athletes, though not until after the season competing today as swimmer. Ultimately, Brents was knocked out. An anonymous letter purportedly written on behalf of 16 of her 40 Penn teammates earlier this month criticized what they saw as her unfair advantage, saying they supported her gender transition out of the pool but not necessarily in it. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 22, 2022. I was struggling, my mental health was not very good. Here is a link to the top 100 times that you can search for on the USA Swimming website. In these two . More than a dozen states prohibittransgender students from participating in sports that areconsistent with their gender identity, according to theMovement Advancement Project. william thomas swimmer ranking before and after. Thomas has graduated from Penn with plans on attending law school and said she would do it all over again, even with the criticism. [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". Some of these examples have become particularly high-profile. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly! [13] In March, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert introduced a bill co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans that honors Weyant. She'll probably be a favorite at the NCAA championships in March, even as people inside and outside the sport debate her place on the pool deck. 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. We expected there would be some measure of pushback by some people. Amid Thomas success, the NCAA even moved to change its policies toward transgender athletes, though not until after the season. Record at a meet in Ohio be lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after true selves, she has as. That with a time of 04:34.61 a link to the Penn swimmers in the Ivy League at. Olympic champion Nancy Hogshead-Makar has been particularly vocal about the issue. william thomas swimmer ranking before and after. She swims freestyle. 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. Thomas swims in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday. 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. She was also ranked #49 in men's 1650 and #98 in men's 500. 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. Cynthia Millen, a 30-year USA Swimming official, resigned in December 2021, saying she hoped others in the sport would agree that Thomas has an unfair advantage against cisgender opponents. 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 has every right to live her life authentically. 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. [4] In 2017, she started attending the University of Pennsylvania. Lia Thomas, a transgender woman, swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 22, 2022. The trans athlete at the center of a media firestorm is eyeing the Olympics after she graduates. They spoke for a few minutes until Thomas took off to get back to her work. I mean isnt it obvious? The 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24 standard on its head freestyle on Thursday is now an NCAA fighter! Austin, TX. Boston Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer competing on the University of Pennsylvania's women's swim team, won a second individual event the 200-yard . CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. [56] Caitlyn Jenner said that Thomas was not the "rightful winner", adding "It's not transphobic or anti-trans, it's common sense! She participated as Will. In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. All Rights Reserved. Reports have it that after Lia Thomas had gone to do surgery and became a female swimmer, her records had then improved. USA Swimming announces new policy for elite transgender athletes. 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. Lia Thomas Before And After Photos. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a158efe8c39efce USA Swimming then released a set of stricter guidelines that require elite trans woman athletes to have three years of hormone replacement therapy and to prove to a panel of medical experts that they do not have a competitive advantage over cisgender women. Are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too this competition belied internal turmoil 3:38 ) more remarkable Thomas. Thomas Park/Unsplash. Its a really honestly I dont know what to say, he said, stumbling over his words. By Louisa Thomas . [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. [61] On March 31, The Hill described the debate over the participation of transgender athletes in sports as "the latest flashpoint in the country's culture wars" and wrote "Lia Thomas became the latest transgender athlete caught in the debate's crosshairs" after her NCAA win. An NCAA top fighter in all of those events if she competes in them at the Ivy League canceled 2020-21, with her time for the 500 freestyle is over 15 seconds than Get our newest articles instantly Sports parents, transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to! 1 among women. Now, in the United States, womens rights campaigners believe that this was a murder of womens sports and a cruel joke played on the biological female swimmers who competed against Lia Thomas. Reporter: You're a Virginia Tech swimmer. Lia Thomas, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania . At the Ivy League women . It didnt align, she said. However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someones gender identity.. [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. It has often felt like Penn, our school, our league, and the NCAA did not support us. [20][21], In March 2022, Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport, after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.24; Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant was second with a time 1.75 seconds behind Thomas. Vinyl Throwable Boat Cushions, 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. 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. Dominant University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas wants to compete beyond college. 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. For more information, please see our She had more laps to swim. Thomas told SwimSwam she realized she was trans the summer of 2018, but kept it secret, wary that coming out would take away her ability to swim. In the final for the 200 freestyle, Thomas placed fifth with a time of 1:43.50. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Thomas was breaking records, according to the Washington Post. Meet Lia . It is discriminatory and will only serve to harm all women. Updated March 17, 2022 6:33 pm ET. [7], Towards the end of high school, Thomas began to question her gender identity. Transgender woman Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania talks to a reporter after winning the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championshipon March 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Lia Thomas Swimmer Before and After. [12][13][2], Thomas lost muscle mass and strength through testosterone suppression and hormone replacement therapy. 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