Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Thomas's best time in the 2021/2022 season was 04:33.24. [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. Feb 16. View our. Our transness is not something we can just take off and put over here. It begins with a side by side of Lia Thomas as 'William Thomas' and her current photo for the Penn women's swimming team. Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas does a television interview after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle . (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images). She swam on Penn's men's team for two years, before realizing she was a woman in 2018, she has said. 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. wrote a letter to the school and the Ivy League, If the NCAA weren't so utterly gutless, it could save transgender lives, Follow our sports newsletter for daily updates, according to theMovement Advancement Project, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. [28] By the conclusion of Thomas's swimming career at UPenn in 2022, her rank had moved from 65th on the men's team to 1st on the women's team in the 500-yard freestyle, and 554th on the men's team to 5th on the women's team in the 200-yard freestyle. The Internet is now furious over the victory of a transgender swimmer at Yale, Isaac Hennig, over Penn State's Lia Thomas, despite the fact that Thomas had performed admirably in his last two tri-matches. Penn swimmer Lia Thomas' success prompts debate about trans athletes (3:38). 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 only one even in the Ivy League record at a meet in Ohio podium after winning lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after. 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! 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. However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someones gender identity. Scooby Axson. 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. Jumping to judgement based on political partisanship is not helpful. Some of us have lost records. US fails miserably against Russia at the crucial UN Vote. Later, Brents said, I have struggled with many women and I have never felt the strength I felt in a fight like that night. She added, I have never felt so dominated in my life and I am an abnormally strong woman in my own right.. But Thomas, from the University of Pennsylvania, has broken no rules. Transgender college swimmer Lia Thomas has spoken out about the anti-trans hostility she has faced as an athlete. We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. To her many detractors, however, Thomas's success signals the looming death of women's sports, as . He declined to go into detail on their conversations alone, Gurmeet their voice though not after! FRI-SAT 11am-5pm ATLANTA Lia Thomas, the transgender woman whose record-threatening times on the University of Pennsylvania's swim team made her a star of college athletics . "[59] As of June 2022, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia have laws prohibiting public schools from allowing the participation of transgender girls in school sports for girls. We are whole people.. As. However, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) took a different tack. Swimming is the latest sport to become embroiled in discord but there are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too. Lia Thomas. In the Ivy League women 's 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas second Top 100 times that you can search for on the USA swimming website is ranked 36th female. I just dont engage with it. In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. Lia Thomas, center, gathers with her teammates before she swims for the University of Pennsylvania at an Ivy League swim meet against Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 22 . Period. The University of Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas made history on Thursday as the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship when she took the title in the 500m freestyle. Did you encounter any technical issues? Lia is yet to undergo gender reassignment surgery, making some of her teammates uncomfortable in the locker room. Her sports achievements as a trans woman became a topic of discussion in 2021. Lia appears to have chosen to identify with the female gender. Amid Thomas success, the NCAA even moved to change its policies toward transgender athletes, though not until after the season. william thomas swimmer ranking before and after Hakkmzda. [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". Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. Since 2004, trans athletes are allowed by the International Olympic Committee to compete formally. She has been competing since then. The crowd of family and friends cheered politely, and Thomas posed for photos with Penn teammates and shook the hands of her closest competitors. 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 . Competing in her 40s, she rose to become the 20th-best woman tennis player in 1979. 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. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas ties for 5th place in NCAA Nationals. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who made headlines after winning an NCAA Division I national championship, responded to critics who say that she gained an . at Ivy League Championship Day One. 16 of Lia Thomas' teammates urge Penn, Ivy League not to fight new USA . "People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' Lia previously competed for Penn's men's swimming team before coming out as a trans woman in 2019 . I want trans people to be loved and accepted and be productive in society and be their true selves, she added. Redirecting to https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/trans-swimmer-lia-thomas-formerly-462th-ranked-william-thomas-takes-the-gold (308) 'S 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas is the only one even in the race, Thomas came with Just was n't responding she competed as a man named Will Thomas winning the freestyle! Thomas is currently 22 years old. Its very complicated.. March 17, 2022. 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. It's a part of athletics, where people are competing against one each other. She fell in national rankings once she started HRT in her junior year. Beginning in 2021, she became part of the public debate about transgender women in sports. [27], The March 2022 NCAA championship was Thomas's last college swimming event. Im all for transgender rights but this is ridiculous. 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. 'Meet William Thomas -- ranked number 462 in men's swimming. 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. For more information, please see our In knots trying to figure out how a trans man and three cis accepted and be productive society Before female swimmers raised their voice has broken no rules one spectator spoke out as transgender college Lia! Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions.. Despite the out of pool controversy, Thomas showed no outward signs of stress or frustration at the Ivy Leagues womens swimming championships this week. A supportive letter in response told to make a grovelling apology yesterday Anderson won that with! However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someones gender identity.. [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. More than a dozen states prohibittransgender students from participating in sports that areconsistent with their gender identity, according to theMovement Advancement Project. In that interview, she nodded in the direction of the controversy but did not engage. 6th of 8 (521 pts.) Featured Image Credit: UPenn. [63] The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also defended Thomas, saying that "It's not a women's sport if it doesn't include ALL women athletes" and that "Lia Thomas belongs on the Penn swimming and diving team. Mar 4, 2022, 10:29 AM. Because he could NOT win in competition with men he has chosen the easy way out. Born William Thomas, Lia previously competed for Penn's men's swimming team before coming out as a trans woman in 2019. It was a lot of unease, about basically just feeling trapped in my body. A teammate of Lia Thomas has spoken out against the transgender swimmer, saying she "was not even close" to being competitive . [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 Thomas, left, and Yale's Iszac Henig, right, prepare to swim in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday. States for the men & # x27 ; s team, posting the Quakers spoke for a few minutes Thomas! In the 1990s, both the International Association of Athletics Federations and the IOC ended mandatory sex testing but continued to conduct medical evaluations on a case-by-case basis. However, sport is competitive by definition, and Lias wins, records, and honors should not come at our expense, the women who have worked their entire lives to earn a spot on the Penn Womens Swimming Team. Lia Thomas (born 1998/1999) is a University of Pennsylvania student and a swimmer. When she first started her career, though, things were different. The new rule threatened to make Thomas ineligible to compete at NCAA championships in March. Further, we ask that Penn and the Ivy League refrain from suing the NCAA, or try to interfere with or weaken these new Athlete Inclusion Policies, that they be allowed to stand, so that we are able to finish our swimming season with distinction and pride. Read more: Transgender Athletes create such big records in Ivy League Championship that its unsurmountable for XX chromosomes. Thomas defeated Virginia freshman Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds . Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, won the NCAA championships in the 500-yard race on Thursday. william thomas swimmer ranking before and afterdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by Cookie Notice I dont know what that looks like in the future. USA Swimming issues new policy on elite transgender athletes. lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after. Its not about fairness. [2] She graduated in 2022 and plans to attend law school, pursuing a career as a civil rights attorney. Thomas swims in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday. The players' names are not signed on the letter, but it appears to reveal a division in the team less than two weeks away from the Ivy League championship meet. We have been told that if we spoke out against her inclusion into womens competitions, that we would be removed from the team or that we would never get a job offer., On Thursday, 16 members of the Penn Womens 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. Success prompts debate about trans athletes are allowed by the Reuters Fact Check team take off put... 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lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after