{"id":497880,"date":"2022-04-05T09:05:18","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T16:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=497880"},"modified":"2022-04-07T17:03:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T00:03:12","slug":"a-look-at-the-numbers-and-times-no-denying-the-advantages-of-lia-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/a-look-at-the-numbers-and-times-no-denying-the-advantages-of-lia-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"A Look At the Numbers and Times: No Denying the Advantages of Lia Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Look At the Numbers and Times: No Denying the Advantages of Lia Thomas<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the controversy over transgender participation in women’s sports continues, including through newspaper discussion and television debate, here is a look at how Lia Thomas fared against biological women during her recent season at the University of Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Just how much of an advantage did Lia Thomas<\/strong> possesses over biological females? The numbers paint a clear picture. The fact that the University of Pennsylvania swimmer soared from a mid-500s ranking (554th in the 200 freestyle; all divisions) in men\u2019s competition to one of the top-ranked swimmers in women\u2019s competition tells the story of the unfairness which unfolded at the NCAA level.<\/p>\n

In her final meet, Thomas finaled in three events at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by a victory in the 500 freestyle<\/a>. She also finished fifth in the 200 freestyle and was eighth in the 100 freestyle. Although she didn’t contest the event at the NCAA Champs, Thomas had one of the country’s top times in the 1650 freestyle. Here’s a look at her performances throughout the season, including their comparative status to her times as a member of Penn’s men’s squad.<\/p>\n