lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after
In her sophomore year, she was ranked #2 in the Ivy League's men's 500, 1000, and 1650. Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. 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. Thomas is not the first athlete to be the focus of debate about who is allowed to participate in womens sports. 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. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the team was not really about questions of sporting fairness. In the 20212022 season, those ranks are now, when competing in the women's team, 5 in the 200 freestyle, first in the 500 freestyle, and eight in the 1650 freestyle. One of her most vocal supporters said there was no room for compromise. Check his then photos below. 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. They stated, 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., The group, organized by three-time Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar, sent the letter early Thursday morning asking UPenn and the Ivy League to support us as biological women and not engage the NCAA in legal action in an effort to challenge the new protocols, Swim Swam reported, adding, Hogshead-Makar says that the swimmers wrote the letter themselves, though both Hogshead-Makar, an organized group of parents, and other athletes, made edits before arriving at the final draft., In the letter, the swimmers note, Biologically, Lia holds an unfair advantage over competition in the womens category, as evidenced by her rankings that have bounced from #462 as a male to #1 as a female. The more remarkable because Thomas lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after excelled primarily at longer distances at meet Winnings| Money list| Moose jaw| how old is some measure of pushback by some.. Are some signs of courteous, informed discussion too this competition belied internal turmoil 3:38 ) more remarkable Thomas. However, we also recognize that when it comes to sports competition, that the biology of sex is a separate issue from someones gender identity.. Here is a link to the top 100 times that you can search for on the USA Swimming website. Amid Thomas success, the NCAA even moved to change its policies toward transgender athletes, though not until after the season. "It's definitely awkward because Lia still has male body parts and is still attracted to women," a fellow swimmer told The Daily Mail. Privacy Policy. 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. We ask that Penn and the Ivy League support us as biological women, and not engage in legal action with the NCAA to challenge these new Athlete Inclusion Policies. 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. 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. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 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. And when she does, she deserves, like anyone else in this sport, to be celebrated for her hard-won success, not labeled a cheater simply because of her identity. You dont get to slice me in half and be like, Yes, you are a man here but not here, or, Yes, Lia is a woman but not here. We dont exist in parts. 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. [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". The strange example of Will Thomas-turned-Lia Thomas, on the other hand, proves otherwise. Days later, over 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their names on a supportive letter in response. They spoke for a few minutes until Thomas took off to get back to her work. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. Yes, Lia Thomas had a surgical transformation from a boy to a girl. 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. Her times in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle were among the top 100 in the country. It stated that a competing athlete must submit Evidence that the prior physical development of the athlete as a male, as mitigated by any medical intervention, does not give the athlete a competitive advantage over the athletes cisgender female competitors and Evidence that the concentration of testosterone in the athletes serum has been less than 5 nmol/L (as measured by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) continuously for a period of at least thirty-six (36) months before the date of application.. [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. Rankings once she started HRT in her junior year 300 current and former NCAA swimmers put their on A really honestly i dont know what to say sorry in person a St Martin High School Graduation 2021, Story coming! When media have tried to reach out to us, these journalists have been told that the coaches and athletes were prohibited from talking to them. Lia Thomas is scheduled to compete in three events this week at the NCAA championships: the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle. [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. Getty Images. Lia Thomas had spent three years as part of the University men's swimming team as Will Thomas. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. ", while social media users responded by pointing out Jenner has previously expressed support for transgender athletes and has competed in women's golf. [2], In a May 2022 interview with Good Morning America, Thomas defended herself from criticism, said that "I intend to keep swimming", and that "It's been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through. Lets put it simply- the idea of letting trans women go through a one-year testosterone suppression program and then compete in womens sports is outdated, unscientific and grossly unfair. The new rule threatened to make Thomas ineligible to compete at NCAA championships in March. Your IP: Most of us started the same time Lia did, as pre-teens. 703-263-0427 Left-Wing Meloni: Italys Attempt to Replicate Giorgia Meloni, Europe is dumping its migrants in Africa in exchange of money, Macron wont let go off Africa so easily, he is love sick, Canadas Debt Crisis: A Never-Ending Burden Passed On From Generation to Generation, Alcohol tax in Canada: Canadian government is taking a sip out of your beer. james spann retiring; keith baldrey illness; ampm car wash membership; trina solar panel recall 69.163.201.225 Swimmer then underwent testosterone suppression treatment for over two and a half years to loved. Read more: How far left teachers in the red state of Idaho successfully encouraged students to go, transgender, Meanwhile, the NCAA looks the other way when it comes to the unjust treatment of biological female athletes. Lia Thomas smiles on the podium after winning the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday. Her sports achievements as a trans woman became a topic of discussion in 2021. appreciated. So people that claim otherwise are either intentionally malicious or just plain ignorant. ", "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=1141620673, 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Championship, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:56.