College of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas took residence the ladies's 500 free title on the NCAA Championships.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports activities
A Virginia Tech swimmer blasted the NCAA over its rule permitting transgender ladies to compete towards organic ladies after she got here up quick in a championship qualifying race that was dominated by College of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Reka Gyorgy leveled the criticism in a publish to her personal Instagram account after lacking the reduce on Thursday to compete within the finals of the five hundred free on the NCAA Championships, Fox Information reported.
“It doesn’t promote our sport in a great way and I believe it's disrespectful towards the biologically feminine swimmers who're competing within the NCAA,” Gyorgy mentioned of the rule that has acquired appreciable scrutiny since Thomas has smashed data in her first season competing on the collegiate stage as a transgender lady.
Gyorgy additionally positioned blame on Thomas for her failure to qualify. The Virginia Tech swimmer mentioned she felt the final spot to get into the ultimate was taken from her “due to the NCAA’s choice to let somebody who just isn't a organic feminine compete.”
Thomas completed with a 4:33.82 within the preliminaries and in the end took residence the nationwide ladies’s 500 free title when she gained the finals race with a time of 4:33.24.
Gyorgy’s letter urged the faculty sports activities group to amend its rule.
“I’d wish to level out that I respect and totally stand with Lia Thomas; I'm satisfied that she isn't any completely different than me or another D1 swimmer who has woken up at 5 a.m. her whole life for morning apply,” wrote Gyorgy.
“Alternatively, I want to critique the NCAA guidelines that enable her to compete towards us, who're biologically ladies.”
Gyorgy has swam for the Hokies for the previous 5 years and represented her residence nation of Hungary within the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I do know you can say I had the chance to swim quicker and make the highest 16, however this example makes it a bit completely different and I can’t assist however be indignant or unhappy. It hurts me, my group and different ladies within the pool,” wrote Gyorgy.
“One spot was taken away from the lady who obtained ninth within the 500 free and didn’t make it again to the A closing stopping her from being an All-American. Each occasion that transgender athletes competed in was one spot taken away from organic females all through the meet.”
The 2-time NACC champion and two-time All-American swimmer mentioned the NCAA “knew what was coming this previous week,” criticizing the media frenzy the group attributable to not addressing the difficulty.
“It's the results of the NCAA and their lack of curiosity in defending their athletes. I ask the NCAA takes time to consider all the opposite organic ladies in swimming, attempt to assume how they'd really feel if they'd be in our footwear. Make the best adjustments for our sport and for a greater future in swimming,” Gyorgy concluded.
The NCAA didn't instantly reply to The Submit’s request for remark.
Thomas has confronted some backlash with quite a lot of organizations and athletes questioning the equity of a swimmer who was born as a organic male competing towards ladies.
The NCAA made new laws about transgender athletes earlier this season, and primarily left eligibility as much as particular person sports activities.
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