Liah Thomas, a transgender swimmer born male and named Will, is breaking records and the hearts of biological female swimmers.
During the three years Will Thomas swam on the men’s team at the University of Pennsylvania, his best time for the 500-yard freestyle event was 4:18.72. The best time he recorded for the 1,650-yard freestyle was 14:54.76.
Olympian Katy Ledecky, arguably one of the greatest female swimmers the sport has known, holds records that Thomas could smash if he can reach the same times achieved before hormone treatment. Ledecky’s record for the 500-yard is 4:24.06 and the record for the 1,650-yard is 15:03.31 so many biological females have expressed anger at the NCAA rules that permit biological males to compete against them.
National Collegiate Athletic Association policy allows male athletes to compete as women after they have completed at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment, which Thomas has done.
Outkick quoted a Thomas teammate, whom they granted anonymity, to outline frustrations the rest of the team feels about competing along with the trans swimmer.
“One year doesn’t mean anything,” the teammate remarked. “What about the years of puberty as a male, the male growth you went through as a man?”
Another of Thomas’ teammates reportedly told the Outkick reporter other swimmers are often upset and cry, knowing Thomas will beat them.
“They feel so discouraged because, no matter how much work they put in it, they’re going to lose,” she said. “Usually, they can get behind the blocks and know they out-trained all their competitors and they’re going to win and give it all they’ve got.”
“Mail Online” columnist Piers Morgan said, “Thomas, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, was unsuccessful as a male swimmer, adding it was shocking unfair to compete as a female swimmer. Morgan quotes Thomas as saying, “‘Being trans has not affected my ability to do this sport and being able to continue is very rewarding.”
Morgan snarked back that it was, indeed, but only for Thomas. “…not for the women born to female biological bodies now trailing distantly in her water wake whose ability to do their sport to the same competitive level they were doing it before she came along has now been wiped out.”
A study published in the British Journal of Medicine in May 2021 backs up complaints and fears expressed by teammates of Thomas. The study concludes that while some biological advantages become leveled out after two years of hormone treatment, some advantage persists.
“Prior to gender affirming hormones, transwomen performed 31% more push-ups and 15% more sit-ups in 1 min and ran 1.5 miles 21% faster than their female counterparts,” concluded lead study author Timothy Roberts, a pediatrician with Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. “After 2 years of taking feminising hormones, the push-up and sit-up differences disappeared but transwomen were still 12% faster.”
“I can’t do this, I can’t support this,” said Cynthia Millen whom The Washington Times said has officiated at USA Swimming events for 30 years. The report added Millen resigned in protest over Thomas. “I told my fellow officials that I can no longer participate in a sport which allows biological men to compete against women.”
“Everything fair about swimming is being destroyed.”
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