Lia Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer and was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. In March 2022, she 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 event.
Lia Thomas: Banned| Swimming| Before| Ranking| Record
Banned:
World swimming’s governing body has effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s events, starting Monday.
FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The organization also proposed an “open competition category.”
Swimming:
He is an American swimmer.
In other words, transgender athletes who have experienced the enduring competitive advantages of a male puberty flooded with testosterone, such as greater muscle mass, lung capacity and height, will no longer have an unfair advantage in women’s competitions.
The unfairness was clear when University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas started blitzing the competition.
Before:
Joe Biden probably thought his executive order last week, “Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals,” was a winner twice over.
A mediocre swimmer when she competed against males, she became a superstar in the pool against women after she swapped genders.
Ranking:
Thomas is ranked 36th among female college swimmers in the United States for the 2021–2022 season and 46th among women swimmers nationally.
According to Sports Illustrated, she has applied for law school and plans to swim at the 2024 Summer Olympics trials.
Record:
Lia Thomas had a banner performance at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships last weekend, winning three individual events and breaking six records.
The University of Pennsylvania swimmer was the meet’s highest-scoring swimmer, setting stage for next month’s NCAA championships, where she is favored to win the 200- and 500-yard freestyles.
