A new controversy shakes the very competitive American university sports community on Friday the day after the historic victory of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the university swimming championships
In Atlanta (Georgia), Lia Thomas won the women’s 500-yard freestyle final (about 457 meters) on Thursday evening, in the colors of the University of Pennsylvania.
The student, who was born male, became the first transgender swimmer to win a university title by completing the final in 4 min 33 sec 24, more than a second and a half ahead of Emma Weyant, second in 4 min 34 sec 99. Erica Sullivan, silver medalist in the 1,500 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, came third in 4 min 35 sec 92.
Lia Thomas, who had previously competed as a man, divides public opinion in the United States.
A physiological advantage
Among its detractors, it is believed that it enjoys an unfair physiological advantage. On the side of her supporters, it is believed that she should be allowed to compete freely as a woman.
A photo published on Friday is eloquent and shakes social networks as far as Europe: Thomas, holding his trophy in his arms, discreet smile, straight on the first step of the podium; a few yards away, second Weyant, third Sullivan and fourth Brooke Forde, huddled side by side and all smiles on the third step in protest.
At the edge of the pools of the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, the contrast was striking Thursday between the applause just polite for Thomas and the crowd in delirium for his three pursuers.
“I try to ignore it as much as possible”, reacted the winner, ensuring to be “just happy to be here trying to give the best (of herself) in the competition”. She had in fact signed the best time of the series with a time of 4 min 33 sec 82 and she is one of the favorites of the 200 yards on Friday.
Lia Thomas, a 22-year-old student, won the Ivy League women’s 500-yard freestyle on February 18, a competition from eight of the most prestigious American universities such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell.
Testosterone threshold
She had obtained the green light from university sports authorities, not without controversy in this very competitive environment in the United States. In February, the governing body of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming, had unveiled new guidelines providing for a stricter threshold for athletes’ testosterone levels – which it was widely believed would make it more difficult to participate. of Lia Thomas at important competitions.
But the NCAA, which governs college sports, said at the time that it would not enforce those tougher rules, allowing Thomas to compete in Atlanta since March 16.
At the start of the year, Lia Thomas had been challenged within her university club. Some of his co-athletes had denounced by letter the supposed advantages linked to its morphology and called for tougher rules for transgender athletes.
In the camp opposite, 300 swimmers, active and retired, had on the contrary taken a position in favor of Thomas, including Sullivan who arrived third on Thursday.
No scientific consensus
The controversy began at the end of 2021 after very good results for Lia Thomas, who arrived this season in the women’s category after having competed in the men’s. This again raises the question of the place of these athletes, between concern for inclusion and protection of sporting equity. After the first participation in the Tokyo Olympics of a transgender athlete, in weightlifting, this is a headache for sports institutions.
In November, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) passed the ball back to each sport, pointing to the lack of “scientific consensus on the role of testosterone in performance across all sports”. The controversy is also political in the United States. Several conservative states have recently passed laws to block young transgender girls from women’s sports in school. “We will ban men from participating in women’s competitions,” former Republican President Donald Trump said at a meeting in Arizona on January 15.
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