Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was annihilated TWICE by a rival swimmer who is transitioning from female to male in the 100-yard and 400-yard freestyle.
During a women’s swim meet against Ivy League rivals Yale and Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania student picked up a win in her first four races.
Thomas, who made headlines in December 2021 after shattering two women’s records in swimming, won the aforementioned race by only two seconds.
According to The Daily Mail, the UPenn swimmer also secured victory in the 500-yard freestyle by a narrow margin of one second.
The newspaper reports that onlookers claimed Thomas was “coasting” to victory and she was “barely trying.”
But Yale University swimmer Iszac Henig, who is transitioning from female to male, swept aside his opposition in the women's 100-yard freestyle.
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The 20-year-old student, from Palo Alto, California, finished the aforementioned freestyle with a time of 49.57 seconds, with Thomas finishing fifth with a time of 52.84 seconds.
Henig breezed past the opposition again in the women's 400-yard freestyle relay by finishing with a time of 50.45 seconds.
And Thomas once again failed to beat Henig, with the 22-year-old swimmer finishing the race with a time of 51.94 seconds.
Along with the 100-yard and 400-yard freestyle, Henig placed first on the podium for the 50-yard freestyle after clocking in a time of 22.76 seconds.
According to reports, Henig delayed his hormone treatments in a bid to end his swimming career on Yale's women's team.
However, the Yale student has had his breasts removed via surgery.
An unnamed UPenn told The Daily Mail: “I wasn't prepared for that. Everything is messed up. I can't wrap my head around this.
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“The NCAA needs to do something about this. They need to put science into the decision and discussion.”
Another anonymous parent told the newspaper: “A man just crushed the women’s team.”
Henig, who came out to his teammates and coaches in April 2021, insisted that his boyhood “doesn't hinge on whether there's more or less testosterone running through my veins.”
In a piece for The New York Times, he wrote: “As a student athlete, coming out as a trans guy put me in a weird position.
“I could start hormones to align more with myself, or wait, transition socially, and keep competing on a women's swim team. I decided on the latter.
“I value my contributions to the team and recognize that my boyhood doesn't hinge on whether there's more or less testosterone running through my veins.
“At least, that's what I'll try to remember when I put on the women's swimsuit for the competition and am reminded of a self I no longer feel attached to.”
Featured Image Credit: Iszac Henig's Instagram/Penn AthleticsTopics: Lia Thomas, Swimming