Lia Thomas

2022 - 3 - 19

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Daily Pennsylvanian"

Lia Thomas takes eighth place in her final swim of the NCAA ... (The Daily Pennsylvanian)

After she touched the wall — achieving her third straight podium placement in three days — she headed to the podium with fellow trans athlete and Yale ...

“I feel incredibly grateful that coming out as gay never kept me from being able to participate in the sport I love,” she wrote. "There's been chatter about Lia being here, but I just try to zone everything out," Ruck told ESPN in a post-race interview. And that's, you know, it's so fun to race your friends, it's fun to have someone to push you to go faster." Friday morning, however, she achieved her top time of the season and entered the finals seeded fourth. "I think there's so many bills right now in so many different states that bar trans people, trans women especially, from sports. Both swimmers — with "Let trans kids play" written on their arms — shared a hug and posed for photos, with Thomas flashing her signature peace sign.

Lia Thomas finishes 8th in 100-yard freestyle, final race of collegiate ... (ESPN)

Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, the first transgender athlete to win a Division I national championship, ended her colligiate swimming career with an 8th place ...

Arguably the most impressive champion of all was Virginia junior Kate Douglass, who won the 50 free (20.84), the 100 butterfly (49.04) and the 200 breaststroke (2:02.19) and set American records in all three. The presence on the podium was indeed much like it was a year ago, with the Cavaliers making frequent trips to the top spots. The NCAA, however, did not apply those rules to the 2022 swimming championships, and it is unclear how they will apply to swimming eligibility moving forward. "It was tough coming in here, the situation she was in. First it was gawking at the times she put up and their proximity to Katie Ledecky's 500 freestyle and Missy Franklin's 200 freestyle records. What she did was really hard and she handled it really well." She made all three championship finals (A-finals in swimming parlance), making her a three-time All-American. She placed eighth in the 100, tied for fifth in the 200 and won the 500, finishing 9 seconds off Ledecky's record. So I took the platform I was hoping to have to say that trans athletes are just like any other athlete. Thomas and Henig came into the 100 free final as the fourth and eighth seeds, respectively. Thomas was the only finalist to go slower than her qualifying time. Virginia freshman Gretchen Walsh won the title in 46.05 seconds to land her first individual NCAA championship. Henig is eligible to compete in the women's category because he hasn't begun hormone therapy.

Save Women's Sports founder says group isn't anti-Lia Thomas (New York Post)

Beth Stelzer has been protesting transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' presence at the NCAA swimming championships.

The group is part of a growing backlash against transgender athletes like Thomas. We think everyone should play sports fairly.” Stelzer, 37, has been joined in Atlanta by women from all over the country who are part of Save Women’s Sports, a group she says fights for biological sex-based eligibility for female sports.

Lia Thomas finishes 8th in 100-yard freestyle, final race of collegiate ... (Daily Mail)

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas finished in eighth place in the 100-yard freestyle race at the NCAA Division I women's championships, the final race of her ...

Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, 72, (left) slammed the NCAA for 'not being tough enough' with the rules and allowing the UPenn swimmer to compete. I'm a woman, and that is not a woman.' Signs and rowdy spectators have been seen at the competition demoting Thomas' wins and podium placements. I'm a woman - that is not a woman. You rely on stupid arguments, because you don't have an argument.' On Thursday, however, after winning first place, she told ESPN that she tries to 'ignore' the brutal commentary. 'It's not about excluding transgender women from winning ever,' the 65-year-old said. Thomas is, however, competing within the current NCAA rule, which will change after this season 'So I took the platform I was hoping to have to say that trans athletes are just like any other athlete.' Keen replied: 'Oh my God - don't be ridiculous. The UPenn swimmer was the first transgender athlete to win a Division I title after pulling in first in the 500-yard, but when the young swimmer stood on top of the podium, she was met with near-silence, while second-place winner University of Virginia swimmer Emma Weyant was met with wild applause and many deeming her the 'real' winner. Transgender UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas finished in eighth place in the 100-yard freestyle race at the NCAA Division I women's championships, making for a disappointing final race of her controversial college swimming career.

Lia Thomas Debate: Through Inaction, NCAA Operated a Circus at ... (Swimming World Magazine)

Lia Thomas Debate: Through Inaction, NCAA Operated a Circus at Championship Competition ... Editorial content for the 2022 NCAA DI Women's Swimming & Diving ...

Lia Thomas becomes first transgender woman to win an NCAA ... (Stuff.co.nz)

In the seconds after becoming the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas ...

Thursday's event was the first of three in which Thomas will compete at these championships. "I try to ignore everything as much as I can," Thomas told an ESPN interviewer poolside right after the race. Though her presence throughout a fifth-year senior season during which she competed as a woman for the first time has drawn considerable attention - along with several protesters outside the swim arena's entrance - her NCAA title was treated as routine. Then she ducked into a holding area behind the winner's stand set up near the arena's far wall, a few steps from the diving pool. When her name was announced as the race's winner, the small swim arena was filled with quiet, polite applause. As some of those who finished behind her chatted while bobbing in the water, Thomas quietly pulled herself from the water and stepped onto the pool deck.