Lia Katherine 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 the NCAA Division I national championship in any sport after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle event.
Lia Thomas: Banned, Birth Name, Gender At Birth, Times, Ranking, Record
Thomas swam for three seasons in the Penn men’s swim team before joining the women’s team after a year-long hiatus when the Ivy League canceled the 2020-21 season for all sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Banned:
Swimming’s world governing body FINA on Sunday voted to form a working group to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women’s competitions and establish an “open” category for them in certain events as part of its new policy.
Transgender rights have become a major issue as sports seek to balance inclusivity while ensuring that there is no unfair advantage.
The debate intensified after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle earlier this year.
Birth Name:
…
| Lia Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Freestyle Sprint/Distance |
| College team | University of Pennsylvania |
Gender At Birth:
“I just want to show trans kids and younger trans athletes that they are not alone,” she says in the coffeehouse. “They don’t get to choose who they are and the sport they love.”
In her first year swimming for the Penn women’s team after competing three seasons against the men, Thomas strangled her competition. She set pool, school, and Ivy League records on her way to becoming the most powerful female collegiate swimmer in the country.
|
Lia Thomas
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | 1998/1999 (age 22–23) |
| Occupation | College student |
| Known for | First openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship |
| Sports career | |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Freestyle Sprint/Distance |
| College team | University of Pennsylvania |
Times:
Thomas’ best time in the 200 freestyle ended in December with his 1:41.93 from the Zippy Invitational. That effort eventually ended at 3.76% slower than her best time before her transition. Again, that time was 7% to 8% faster than the typical separation between males and females.
| Event | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 100 FR | 47.15 | College Station (M) |
| 200 FR | 1:39.31 | Tennessee Invitational (M) |
| 500 FR | 4:18.72 | 2019 Ivy League Championships (M) |
| 1000 FR | 8:55.75 | 2019 Ivy League Championships (M) |
Ranking:
Lia Thomas is ranked 36th among female college swimmers in the United States and 46th among female swimmers nationally for the 2021-2022 season.
According to Sports Illustrated, she has applied for law school and plans to swim at the 2024 Summer Olympic Trials.
During the last season in the NCAA, Lia Thomas competed in the men’s section in 2018-19. There, she was 554th in the 200-yd freestyle, and she is now fifth in the competition this year. In addition, in the 500-yd freestyle, Thomas was ranked 65th in the country.
Now, she stood first in the event this year. Finally, in the 1650 freestyle, he is now ranked eighth in the country, while in the men’s section he is ranked 32nd.
Record:
Her personal record is 1 minute and 43.12 seconds.
Lia Thomas, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, set an Ivy League record for fastest 200-yard freestyle Friday evening to earn her second victory at the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships. Thomas completed the freestyle in a minute and 43.12 seconds, which was .
Thomas broke a number of records at the pool, which is in Boston, across the river from Harvard’s Cambridge campus. Her 500 free time of 4:37.32 on Thursday was a pool best; her 1:43.12 time in the 200 free on Friday shattered the previous pool record, as well as the Ivy League’s meet record.
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