Lia Thomas Ranking, Birth Name, Name Change, Before And After Photo, Height

April 2024 · 2 minute read

Lia Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer and student at the University of Pennsylvania.

During the 2018–2019 season, Thomas recorded the top Penn Men’s team times in the 500 free, 1000 free, and 1650 free.

In 2021 and 2022, her athletic achievements as a trans woman became a point of media debate.

Thomas began transitioning in 2019 with hormone therapy and followed NCAA and Ivy League rules. However, she faced scrutiny inside and outside the sport about if transgender women and girls should be allowed to participate in female sports.

Lia Thomas Ranking

Penn swimmer, Lia Thomas, who entered the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships as the top seed, had a season-best time of 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle on March 17, 2022.

As a result, she has become the first transgender athlete to win a Division I national championship in any sport.

Thomas finished 1.75 seconds ahead of second-place Emma Weyant, 4:34.99,  who attends Virginia.

Lia Thomas is currently ranked number 1.

Lia Thomas Birth Name

The Penn swimmer Lia was born William Thomas.

Lia Thomas Name Change

In a recent interview, Lia said she began to use her name Lia Catherine Thomas on New Year’s 2020.

“It’s a milestone in a very long process of transitioning where you feel like this is who I am, and I’m going to live this,” she says.

“In a way, it was sort of a rebirth, for the first time in my life, feeling fully connected to my name and who I am and living who I am. I am Lia”.

In a conversation with her parents, Thomas rolled through a list of potential names but none seemed to capture her spirit. Carrie came up with “Lia,” and Thomas immediately liked it. She chose “Catherine” as a middle name—her mother’s birth name.

Lia Thomas Before And After Photo

Lia Thomas’ before and after photos are below;

Lia Thomas Height

Lia Thomas stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch.

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