At the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio, over the weekend, Lia Thomas finished the 1,650-yard freestyle 38 seconds ahead of her teammate Anna Sofia Kalandaze.
Video posted online shows the moment Lia Thomas, 22, a transgender swimmer for the University of Pennsylvania, smashed two records during a meet over the weekend.
Lia Thomas, 22, smashed two U.S. swimming records at an Akron, Ohio contest. Thomas won the 1,650 freestyle in a record time of 15:59.71 beating her closest rival Anna Sofia Kalandaze by 38 seconds.
Lia Thomas (pictured before transitioning), formerly Will, competed in a number of events recently, as she attended a tri-meet with Cornell and Princeton universities on November 20.
Athlete Ally releases LGBTQ equality ratings for Division I institutions
Baeth said more of these institutions now have formal written policies about transgender inclusion on their sports teams than in previous years, which reflects a growing commitment to protect these students in response to policy makers attempting to ban their participation.
However, Athlete Ally reported that overall, 92 percent of NCAA Division I athletic departments did not have “fully inclusive trans athlete policies” as of March 2021, according to a summary of this year’s equality index published online, as a searchable database. Additionally, only 2.8 percent, or 10 Division I athletic departments nationwide, “fully protect and support their LGBTQ+ identities” and received a perfect 100 score based on Athlete Ally’s criteria for inclusive department policies and practices.