Lia Thomas took control in the final 100 yards of the 500-yard freestyle to make history Thursday as the first known transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming championship.
Thomas, the University of Pennsylvania senior who entered the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships as the top seed, touched first with a season-best time 4min 33.24sec at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I didn’t have a whole lot of expectation for this meet,” Thomas said. “I was just happy to be here and race and compete the best I could.”
Virginia’s Emma Weyant, who won an Olympic silver medal in the 400m individual medley last summer in Tokyo, came in second at 4min 34.99sec.
The race was close until the final 100 yards, with Weyant and Erica Sullivan of Texas pushing Thomas for the lead.
Penn's Lia Thomas wins the NCAA championship in the 500 free, touching in a season-best 4:33.24: "It means the world to be here, to be with two of my best friends and my teammates, and to be able to compete." pic.twitter.com/7P2mO6Uyi3
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 17, 2022
As was the case in Thursday morning in a preliminary win, Thomas was stronger at the end. She won the preliminary race at 4min 33.82sec.
Thomas also is the top seed in the 200 freestyle Friday and is the 10th seed in the 100 freestyle Saturday.
Thomas is a former male swimmer for Penn. She has followed NCAA and Ivy League rules since she began her transition in 2019 by starting hormone replacement therapy.
The inclusion of the transgender swimmer created controversy, even within the sport. There were fewer than 10 protesters outside the Georgia Tech facility, and some carried banners which read “Save Women’s Sports” in the stands.
“I try to ignore it as much as I can,” Thomas said. “I try to focus on my swimming .. and just try to block out everything else.”