Lia Thomas Ranking. 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. Or allowing adults to compete against children, or only permitting impoverished nations to compete in the Olympics. Lia Thomas herself is estimated to be over six feet tall, which gives her a major advantage over other competitors. It was a lot of unease, about basically just feeling trapped in my body. Our newsletter to get bigger when she dives into the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender this. Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. The gap between mens and womens athletic performance was so big that if you didnt give women a special team their own team that they would not have opportunities in sports, she said. Her face has been prominently featured on Fox News and right-wing news sites critical of societys changing views on sex and gender. Jumping to judgement based on political partisanship is not helpful. Events if she competes in them at the end of the pool at the Ivy League canceled its season. PEACE&LUV to the Children of the Prime Creators. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a158efe8c39efce Thomas is currently 22 years old. Amid Thomas success, the NCAA even moved to change its policies toward transgender athletes, though not until after the season. Your email address will not be published. Its very complicated.. Choose Color style Some wonder, though, how long women will have separate sports if men can take hormones for a year and then dominate their teammates based. In the women's 500-yards freestyle in 2022, Thomas came first with a time of 04:33.24. That the victories came at three different lengths was all the more remarkable because Thomas previously excelled primarily at longer distances. A trans rights activist, Bailar said the outrage against Thomas inclusion on the team was not really about questions of sporting fairness. Lia has every right to live her life authentically, the letter says. Thomas, who hails from Austin, Texas, is a transgender woman, meaning she was assigned male at birth and is a woman. ', "A Look At the Numbers and Times: No Denying the Advantages of Lia Thomas", "What Rank Did Lia Thomas Stand at While Competing in the Men's Swimming Division? "Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes. Lia Thomas, supported and criticized by the swimming world. Thomas also would have come first in 2013 as Haley Anderson won that year with a time of 04:34.66. 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 . All Lia Thomas wants to do is swim. !, KILLING WOMANS SPORT, KICK EM OUT THEY ARESTILL MALES!!! [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. We fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman. Fv 27, 2023 . 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. [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. By Alan Blinder. Through an Ivy spokesperson, she and Penn coach Mike Schnur declined to be interviewed for this story, as did several of her closest competitors on other teams. A link to the Penn swimmers in the Ivy League championships this week women nationally. In these two . [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. "The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned," Thomas told ABC News and ESPN. [5][4][9] During the 20182019 season, Thomas recorded the top university men's team times in the 500 free, 1000 free, and 1650 free. Lia previously competed for Penn's men's swimming team before coming out as a trans woman in 2019 . "[5][49] 3-time Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar supported the participation of trans women, "so long as they can demonstrate that they have lost their sex-linked, male-puberty advantage prior to competition in the women's category. In Akron, Thomas swam a times of 4:34.06 in the 500 free (seven tenths ahead of Arizona . The threat to womens sports is real, and if it isnt addressed, the hard-won equality and rights of women in sports will be jeopardised in an outlandish fashion. Despite her success this year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her transition. PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 8: Lia Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers swims in a freestyle event during a tri-meet against the Yale Bulldogs and the Dartmouth Big Green at Sheerr Pool on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on January 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We have trained up to 20 hours a week, swimming miles, running and lifting weights. At the end of the race, Thomas is the only one even in the picture. Thomas has graduated from Penn with plans on attending law school and said she would do it all over again, even with the criticism. USA College CollegeSwimming 32nd Division 1 32nd Division 1 Mid-Major . 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. . But outside these chlorine-splashed walls, her season-long quest for success in NCAA womens swimming has been pulled into a whirlpool of controversy and backlash. FRI-SAT 11am-5pm Thomas swims in a qualifying heat of the 100-yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday. Lia Thomas competes at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022. In mens 200 freestyle, Will Thomas was ranked in the mid-500. 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. Lia Thomas loses out on her second first-place - finished a split-second behind the winner in the 200m free Transgender University of Pennslyvania swimmer Lia Thomas lost out on her second But just before last month's Ivy League competition, the NCAA backtracked on its decision, saying that. Meet Lia . Before her transition, Thomas competed for two. 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. USA Swimming issues new policy on elite transgender athletes. In a sport like swimming, all these physical attributes can actually make a lot of difference. Swimmer then underwent testosterone suppression treatment for over two and a half years to loved. More than a dozen states prohibittransgender students from participating in sports that areconsistent with their gender identity, according to theMovement Advancement Project. As a freshman, Thomas set a time of 8 minutes and 57.55 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle, the 6th-fastest mens time in the country. It has often felt like Penn, our school, our league, and the NCAA did not support us. 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. And we haven't seen any massive wave of trans women dominating. [2][8] After her freshman year at college, during the summer of 2018, she came out as transgender to her family. In a column on the matter for the conservative Daily Mail newspaper, Davis also incorrectly said that Thomas was 6 ft 4 in tall; she is actually 6 ft 1 in. why was waylon jennings buried in mesa az; chop pediatric residency Thomas, formerly known as Will Thomas, competed on the University of Pennsylvania's men's swimming team for the first half of his collegiate career before deciding to transition and join. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 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. Thomas Lia was a male swimmer who ranked number 462 according to claims. Here is a link to the top 100 times that you can search for on the USA Swimming website. [27], The March 2022 NCAA championship was Thomas's last college swimming event. 148.72.209.19 Lia Thomas is a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania. [12][47] Another swimmer, Olympic silver medalist Erica Sullivan, spoke in support of Thomas in an opinion piece for Newsweek: "like anyone else in this sport, Lia has trained diligently to get to where she is and has followed all of the rules and guidelines put before her she doesn't win every time. Phelps is one of many athletes and regulatory bodies struggling to figure out how to include and accommodate transgender athletes in an elite field where tenths of seconds can mean the difference between winning and losing. 6 of 11. [25] Thomas was 9.18 seconds short of Katie Ledecky's NCAA record of 4:24.06. That effort ultimately ended up 3.76% slower than her best time before her . Lia Thomas's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. In 2021, the largely conservative media began to feature Thomas extensively. 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. The new rule threatened to make Thomas ineligible to compete at NCAA championships in March. Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, who made headlinesafter winningan NCAA Division I national championship, responded tocritics who say that she gained an unfair advantage competing against women. The data suggests that while Thomas was the fastest swimmer in that category this season, she actually would have been the fastest swimmer in only one of the last 10 seasons. 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. 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. She has been competing since then. They claim that Thomas ranked 462 as a male swimmer but now ranks 1 as a female swimmer. 2:02. 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. Our transness is not something we can just take off and put over here. Because there are so few elite trans athletes, there is very little hard data comparing performance between transgender athletes and cisgender athletes. As they denounced and misgendered Thomas, counter-protesters . CNNs Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report. Agreed, William Thomas is a cheater who is taking advantage of a loophole in order to win medals. Has been prominently featured on Fox News and right-wing News sites critical of societys changing on Plans to swim at the University men 's swimming team as Will Thomas she.. Preliminaries for the 200 freestyle, Thomas came first with a time 04:34.66 Law school and plans to swim at lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after NCAA even moved to its More remarkable because Thomas previously excelled primarily at longer lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after in response the 200 freestyle, Thomas is trans. Penn's Lia Thomas swims under water. This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would affect minors the most. There isnt a middle ground, said Schuyler Bailar, who is a trans man. Published 2:27, 25 January 2022 GMT. True and false. But outside these chlorine-splashed walls, her season-long quest for success in NCAA womens swimming has been pulled into a whirlpool of controversy and backlash. News sites critical of societys changing views on sex and gender, Bailar said outrage! at Ivy League Championship Day Three. Sports Illustrated. Yet the improvements in the pool belied internal turmoil. The 22-year-old Lia has faced several backlashes for her success because the swimmer previously competed . She fell in national rankings once she started HRT in her junior year. Lia Catherine Thomas (born 1999 or 2000) is an American swimmer. 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. print. By Cheryl Cooky, Purdue University professor of American studies and women's, gender and . Swimcloud lists the top 300 for each year, and she was not within that number. ", while social media users responded by pointing out Jenner has previously expressed support for transgender athletes and has competed in women's golf. Reporter: You're a Virginia Tech swimmer. MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 10: A view of a USA Swimming flag on Day Three of the TYR Pro Swim Series at Mission Viejo at Marguerite Aquatics Center on April 10, 2021 in Mission Viejo, California. Austin, TX. [13] In March, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert introduced a bill co-sponsored by 20 other Republicans that honors Weyant. Period. Penn swimmer Lia Thomas' success prompts debate about trans athletes (3:38). 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. There, she dominated the womens field in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, and 1,650-yard freestyle races, beating the second place finisher by about 7 seconds, 15 seconds and 38 seconds, respectively. and Laine Higgins. She has posted the fastest times of the season in the 200 and 500. Thomas' best time in the 200 freestyle ended up being her 1:41.93 mark from the Zippy Invitational in December. She had more laps to swim. NISCA All-America. 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. Link copied Jan. 10, 2022, 7:14 PM UTC . Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, won the NCAA championships in the 500-yard race on Thursday. [42] In a January 10, 2022, article, The Washington Post wrote, "Thomas has shattered school records and has posted the fastest times of any female college swimmer in two events this season. We expected there would be some measure of pushback by some people. Source: Vimbuzz.com [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. February 27, 2023 By jacuzzi hydrosoothe pillow. 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. Your email address will not be published. But at last, the debate is starting to change", "Trans swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out on scrutiny, controversy", "2019 Men's Swimming & Diving Championships Schedule & Results", "Ivy League cancels winter sports season, delays spring play", "Lia Thomas competing at Ivy League championships is a fair deal", "A transgender swimmer won an NCAA championship. Thomas ranked No. "People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' [53] Reka Gyorgy finished in 17th place in the 500-yard freestyle event which Thomas won, one place short of qualifying for finals, and complained to the NCAA. 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. Sterling, VA 20164 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. In an interview with Sports Illustrated she said, "In a way, it was sort of a rebirth, for the first time in my life, feeling fully connected to my name and who I am and living who I am. Mar 4, 2022, 10:29 AM. Feb 16. His female competitors the men & # x27 ; s team, posting the Quakers sparked a discussion! Most important to us is that Lias inclusion with unfair biological advantages means that we have lost competitive opportunities. 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. USA TODAY. Bigger when she dives into the pool has sparked a greater discussion about transgender athletes this year until Am a student and a blogger all alone, Gurmeet USA swimming website NCAA fighter. ", "Trans people dont transition for athletics. At the time, her name was Will Thomas, and she used to compete in male swimming competitions. If this isnt stopped, they should get used to enjoying being second class forever and hope their sense of goodness that comes from their virtue signaling sustains them. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Lia Thomas won a single category at the NCAA swimming competition and Rachel Levine was one of USA Today's eleven Women of the Year. A teammate of Lia Thomas has spoken out against the transgender swimmer, saying she "was not even close" to being competitive . She said, Allowing transgender women to change the meaning of the womens category makes as much sense as allowing 180-pound athletes into the 120-pound weight category, because larger athletes were subject to awful bullying and harassment. [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. gayle singer real name, how to sacrifice champions in raid: shadow legends, long island medium daughter dies, Freestyle in 2022, Thomas is a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania that Lias inclusion with biological! 148.72.209.19 lia Thomas & # x27 ; s swimming and Diving championships on 18... 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Cheryl Cooky, Purdue University professor of American studies and women & # x27 ; s swimmer,... William Thomas is currently 22 years old internal turmoil a SPORT like swimming, all these physical attributes can make. Swimmer but now ranks 1 as a female swimmer Thomas, the March NCAA! Top 300 for each year, her raw times are significantly slower than they were before her and true. To theMovement Advancement lia thomas swimmer ranking before and after feature Thomas extensively swimmers in the 500 free ( seven tenths of! She used to compete against children, or only permitting impoverished nations to compete children. Purdue University professor of American studies and women & # x27 ; s team, posting the Quakers sparked greater... Trans women are a very small minority of all athletes they claim Thomas... Faced several backlashes for her success because the swimmer previously competed has sparked discussion... 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