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Penn swimmer Leah Thomas revealed her performance in the pool and coming out as a transsexual less than two weeks before the NCAA Championships.
In a long profile from Sports Illustrated, published on Thursday, Thomas spoke about the mental suffering she experienced before going out into a trance. She told the magazine that she began to question her gender identity at the end of her high school in Texas, and recalled that she felt “excluded from her body.” She said she has started researching more about how she felt, but is worried about what others will think.
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Leah Thomas of Pennsylvania, right, receives a hug from Isaac Hennig of Yale after Thomas won the 100-yard freestyle final and Hennig finished second at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard on Saturday, February 19, 2022. ., in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo / Mary Schwalm)
Thomas told Sports Illustrated that he remembers feeling “depressed” from what he was going through in his second year at Penn, and that affected her life at school. She said that it was only when she started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in May 2019 that she began to feel more like herself.
“It simply came to my notice then. I felt mentally much better and healthier pretty quickly. The relief she gave me was quite significant, “said Thomas, adding that she appeared before her teammates and coaches in the junior year.
Until the New Year 2020, Thomas was called Leah. As COVID-19 ended the season for Ivy League teams in 2020, she began competing in the women’s field until the 2021-22 season.
Thomas’ record-breaking swims at several events this season have caused a sensation and support from teammates, parents and others from around the world. Thomas told Sports Illustrated that he opposes those who support her decision to live her life as a transgender woman but reject her from the race.
LIA THOMAS OF PEN CAN AND DOMINATES Ivy’S CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT NCAAS EXPECTS HEAVIER COMPETITION
Leah Thomas of Pennsylvania touches the wall to win the 100-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University on Saturday, February 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo / Mary Schwalm)
“The very simple answer is that I am not a man. I’m a woman, so I belong to the women’s team. “Trans people deserve the same respect that every other athlete gets,” she said.
Thomas has been a remarkable success this season. She set Zippy Invitational records last year and records for Ivy League Championships meetings and gatherings last month. She even received support from Mickey Dalke, a former record holder at the Blodgett Pool in Harvard.
Dalke, who swam for Harvard, expressed her support for Thomas and the record performance before ESPN after the championship.
“Records are being set to be broken. “I’m a faster swimmer because of the fast swimmers of the past, and the future of swimming will be faster because of the women at the top of the NCAA today,” Dalke said.
Dalke was among the 300 people who signed Athlete Ally’s letter in support of the Penn swimmer.
“I signed the letter because I believe Leah should have the same opportunity to compete in a sport she loves as any other woman in the NCAA. “I think it’s important to create a safe space for all athletes in the sport,” she said.
On Wednesday, Thomas was officially named one of the swimmers who will represent Penn at the NCAA Championships on March 16-19 in Atlanta, Georgia Tech. Thomas will swim 100 free, 200 free and 500 free.
Leah Thomas of Pennsylvania applauded her teammates who competed in the 1650-yard freestyle final at the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard on Saturday, February 19, 2022, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (AP Photo / Mary Schwalm)
Thomas set a Penn record in each of the events, finishing 47.63 in the 100 freestyle, 1: 41.93 in the 200 freestyle and 4: 34.06 in the 500 freestyle.
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It will have tough competition from other schools during the championship. Virginia and Tennessee are among the best teams in the nation and have really good swimmers in the events that Thomas will compete in. Stanford is also out of its 24th Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.