A University of Pennsylvania swimmer spoke anonymously with some critical words for teammate Lia Thomas, after the 22-year-old continued to beat her fellow swimmers at a meet at Harvard this weekend.
The swimmer, who chose to remain anonymous, spoke to the Washington Examiner about the advantages Thomas has gained through her transition, especially after the USA Swimming team announced it will allow 'non-elite' athletes to compete in a way that is 'consistent with their gender identity.'
'Women are now third-class citizens,' the swimmer said, noting that Thomas was not as good a swimmer when competing against the men but thrived against women.
'Lia was not even close to being competitive as a man in the 50 and the 100 (freestyle events),' she added. 'But just because Lia is biologically a man, she is just naturally better than many females in the 50 and the 100 or anything that she wasn't good at as a man.'
Thomas, 22, continued to dominate in the pool on Saturday where she continued to beat fellow swimmers, leaving them in her wake.
An anonymous member of the University of Pennsylvania women's swim team has spoken out against transgender teammate Lia Thomas
Thomas competes in the 200 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on Saturday
Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, right, towers over her teammates as she dries off after after warming up with the team before the NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard
Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, center, competes against Harvard's Erin Cavanagh, left, and Harvard's Felici Passadyn at the start of the women's 200 meter freestyle race during the an NCAA college swimming meet
Competing during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, Thomas won the Women's 100m and Women's 200m Freestyle races, although the margin's were far narrower than in previous races she won in 2021.
Thomas won her 100m race in 50.55 seconds with her closest competitor coming in at 51.51.
In the 200m race, she won in 1:47.08 with the second place being secured in 1:48.44.
Thomas was on the UPenn men's team during her first three years, but she is now competing on the women's team this season after transitioning.
The anonymous swimmer believes the NCAA are failing to protect her fellow teammates and competitors.
'The top people at NCAA, who are on the board of directors … they are not protecting women's rights,' the Penn swimmer said. 'Imagine if there was this kind of inequality in men's sports? Or someone found out about doping in a men's sport. It would be fixed in a blink of an eye. Everyone would be all over it. But because it's women, they don't care.'
Thomas' controversial wins saw the NCAA review its guidelines for male-to-female trans athletes on Wednesday, but the body ultimately washed its hands of the swirling row surrounding transgender athletes in college athletics.
Under the new guidelines, approved by the NCAA Board of Governors, transgender participation for each sport will be determined by the policy for each sport's national governing body.
NCAA rules on transgender athletes returned to the forefront when Thomas started smashing records late last year.
The anonymous Penn swimmer also claims that many people agree with her and that despite her general liberalism politically, this is past the rubicon.
'People have come up to me and said this is so wrong,' she said. 'I am typically liberal, but this is past that. This is so wrong. This doesn't make any sense.'
She wants more people to speak out against what she believes is a problem, but doesn't want to harm her future.
'I can't just sit back and let something like this happen. I'm not just going to sit back and say, 'My rights are being taken away, too bad.' It's embarrassing that people aren't speaking out more.'
'It's crazy because I don't actually know if Lia thinks this is fair,' she added. 'This can't possibly be rewarding in any way. I can't see how anyone could feel good about this.'
Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks to her coach after winning the 200 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard on Saturday
Transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, 22, won two of her races on Saturday although her win's were by narrower margins than of late
Although her previous wins sparked controversy having smashed several women's records in the pool Saturday's timings were similar to her competitors. The University of Pennsylvania says it will work with the NCAA under its newly adopted standards for transgender athletes
Last month, Thomas put in an astounding performance at the Zippy Invitational Event in Akron, Ohio, that saw her finish the 1,650-yard freestyle 38 seconds ahead of the next closest finisher, teammate Anna Sofia Kalandaze.
Thomas's winning time was 15:59:71, with her UPenn teammate Anna Kalandaze coming second with a time of 16:37:44.
Thomas's win was a record for the Zippy Meet, and the pool where the event took place. But she also managed to smash two US women's swimming records during earlier races at the same event.
The first US record was broken on December 3, when Thomas won the 500-meter freestyle with a time of 4:34:06. She raced to victory 14 seconds ahead of Kalandaze - the swimmer she beat by 38 seconds on Sunday.
The following Saturday, she won the 200-meter freestyle in 1:41:93 - seven seconds ahead of her nearest rival, giving her the fastest female US time ever for that race too.
USA Swimming has announced it will release a new policy 'shortly' on whether elite trans athletes like Ivy League swimmer Lia Thomas can compete against biological women
Lia Thomas, circled, is pictured in a post by UPenn Swimming and Diving, captioned: 'Ladies at the beach'
Pictured: Thomas training with the team at Sailfish Splash Waterpark in Florida earlier this month
With NCAA taking little decisive action, on Thursday USA Swimming announced it will release a new policy 'shortly' on whether elite trans athletes like Ivy League swimmer Thomas can compete against biological women.
The organization, which oversees more than 360,000 members, released a statement Thursday after the NCAA Board of Governors said they will update their guidelines to follow the wishes of each sport's governing body.
'USA Swimming firmly believes in inclusivity and the opportunity for all athletes to experience the sport of
