Just as the news had come out that trans swimmer Lia Thomas was confirmed to have an unfair advantage by medical professionals, Thomas spoke out.
Thomas remained largely radiosilent following historic NCAA victory – which many believe was her slacking off over giving her best.
In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, a Mayo Clinic doctor and an international physiologist who consults on the sports both confirmed Thomas’s advantage is inescapable.
‘There are social aspects to sport, but physiology and biology underpin it. Testosterone is the 800-pound gorilla,’ Michael J. Joyner, the Mayo Clinic doctor, said.
‘Lia Thomas is the manifestation of the scientific evidence. The reduction in testosterone did not remove her biological advantage,’ Dr. Ross Tucker, a sports physiologist added.
Thomas tried to counter the medical claims. In an interview with Good Morning America she explained the changes her body had undergone – despite the fact that she hasn’t gotten the bottom surgery.
EXCLUSIVE: "Trans people don't transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves."
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out to @JujuChangABC about backlash and future plans to compete. https://t.co/UFQOgMNBLj pic.twitter.com/FJcmyEChi9
— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 31, 2022
“Trans people don’t transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves.”
“It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time and I would love to see that through.”