Lia Thomas is making waves inside the pool and out of it recently. Lia is a transgender D1 swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, she is killing it by being the top 200 and 500 freestyler in the nation. But some aren’t so approving of her new found success in the pool. Many are saying that Thomas swimming against other women is unfair, and her success should lose some of its luster. Billy Witz, from The New York Times, described her swim as follows: “Shelton chugged ahead from the start, plowing through the water and carrying the lead. But as she did, Thomas cruised along beside her, seeming as unhurried as if on a training swim.” 

Thomas’s success in the pool is raising ethical questions in the world of elite sports. Many are saying her success is due to her assigned-at-birth gender, and that she has an unfair advantage over her competitors while others say she has gone through the proper transition, like hormone suppressants, for it to be fair for her to compete with the women. The qualifying standard for the Men’s 200 freestyle for Division 1 is 1:32.05. Thomas recently just swam a 1:47.08, about 17 seconds slower than the Men’s qualifying standard. Also, Thomas did qualify to swim Division 1 as a man and met the standard set for men. Some might interpret that as her being weaker and slower than in her previous swims before her transition. But some say it isn’t enough and that she still has an unfair advantage over her female competitors.

The NCAA is taking action and they are not letting their voices be unheard. The NCAA just got rid of their nearly 10 year policy, stating that transgender female athletes need to be on a testosterone-suppressing drug. Athletes now are going to have to meet testosterone thresholds set by the national governing body of the sport they play. The new rules could be in effect as soon as the  NCAA Winter National championships in light of all the new controversy.