Lia Thomas’ competition partner was very upset about the events of the NCAA championships.
Lia Thomas and Riley Gaines tied for fifth place with the same time. In the prize distribution, Thomas received the prize intended for fifth and Gaines for sixth. Getty Images
Distinguished swimmer in the USA at the NCAA level, i.e. in intercollegiate competitions Riley Gaines opened up The Telegraph in an interview with the magazine about his experience of competing against a trans woman.
Gaines was in the pool at the NCAA Championships in March by Lia Thomas with in the 200-yard freestyle.
Thomas is defined as male at birth. She competed for a long time in the men’s division, but later corrected her gender and reached the top level in the women’s NCAA pools.
In the 200-yard freestyle final, Thomas and Gaines tied for fifth place with the same time.
– My heart broke, Gaines says now, eight months later.
– The women had sacrificed their whole lives for it. We had spent five and a half hours in the pool every day. How does it feel when someone who just a year earlier wouldn’t even have made it to this race takes it away? It was a slap in the face.
Award question
Thomas won the women’s 500-yard freestyle championship at the Games.
After the 200-yard race, the race organizers awarded Thomas the fifth place in the award standings. Gaines was given the pole intended for sixth place, even though the swimmers had exactly the same finish time.
Gaines tells the Telegraph that the organizers justified the matter with “filming-related” reasons.
– I asked the organizers, are you really going to give the award to a biological man instead of a woman? This is horseshit, and you know it, Gaines is reported to have said.
– Thomas didn’t say a word and didn’t offer to stand. To me, it shows a lack of self-awareness and disrespect towards other athletes. I think it’s about narcissism.
Lia Thomas competed for three years on her university’s men’s team before her gender reassignment. TIP
“To be happy”
Thomas said in May that he has been accused of correcting his gender in order to gain an advantage in sports.
– I corrected my gender to be happy, Thomas said.
According to Gaines, it was clear to her and many of her teammates and coaches that Thomas should not be allowed to compete in the women’s division.
– I thought that Thomas would certainly not be allowed to compete in the women’s series. But two weeks before the finals, we heard that Thomas would be there. It was a shock.
In the same dressing room
Setan according to, it is important for a transgender person to be met in their correct gender, which is why the social and legal dimensions of gender correction are also important.
However, Gaines did not feel comfortable in the locker room.
– We were not told in advance that Thomas would share the space with us. I think it was absurd. Suddenly, the whole space goes silent and next to us is a more than 190 cm biological man who starts to undress.
– It makes you feel totally uncomfortable. It was a really special experience. When I walked out of the locker room, I thought, why aren’t the people who make the decisions talking about how this is wrong.
In June, the international umbrella organization of swimming sports, Fina, decided that transwomen are allowed to participate in competitions in the women’s series, if the athlete has had their gender corrected by the age of 12.