Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won her first individual title Thursday at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship, setting a pool record as she touched more than seven seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
The University of Pennsylvania senior won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:37.32, easily defeating Penn teammate Catherine Buroker, who placed second at 4:44.83.
The winning finish was also a pool record at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool in Boston, breaking the mark held by 2008 and 2012 Olympic swimmer Kate Ziegler, according to Swimming World.
The 22-year-old Thomas also posted the fastest split in Wednesday’s 800 freestyle relay, although the Penn team finished third.
Thomas, who competed for three years on the Penn men’s team before joining the women’s side for the 2021-22 season, touched off a national debate over fairness and inclusion in sports with her record-smashing performances.
Her Thursday victory was not a surprise. She entered the Feb. 16-19 championships as the top seed in the 500-yard as well as the 200-yard freestyle, which is scheduled for Friday. She is also seen as a strong contender in the 1,650-yard freestyle slated for Saturday.
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— Penn Swimming & Diving (@PennSwimDive) February 17, 2022
Lia Thomas is the @IvyLeague champion in the 500 free. Her time of 4:37.32 is a new pool record.
Catherine Buroker finishes in second.#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/ki2SQdxn6Q
Another transgender swimmer, Yale’s Iszac Henig, won the 50-yard freestyle Thursday with a time of 21.93.
The 20-year-old Henig has largely avoided controversy, because he is a female-born swimmer who is transitioning to male although continuing to swim on the women’s team.
The Ivy League announced earlier this month that Thomas would be eligible to compete in the championships amid rule changes by the NCAA and USA Swimming on criteria for male-born transgender athletes.
In January, the Ivy League issued a statement in support of Thomas, reaffirming its “unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive environment for all student-athletes while condemning transphobia and discrimination in any form.”
As of Thursday, Penn ranked fourth in the eight-team competition.
Thomas is expected to compete in next month’s NCAA Division I swimming championships after the NCAA announced last week it would not change its rules mid-season, in the interest of fairness.
Advocates for women’s sports, as well as some anonymous Penn swimmers, have criticized allowing Thomas to compete against women despite undergoing testosterone suppression, saying she has numerous physical advantages as a biological male that female-born athletes cannot match.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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