Lia Thomas

Lia Catherine Thomas (born May 1999) is an American swimmer and the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, having won the women's 500-yard freestyle event in 2022, before being barred from competing in women's events by World Aquatics. Thomas's career has been a part of the public debate about transgender women in women's sports.

In July 2025, after the second Trump administration had previously cut the University of Pennsylvania's federal funding in March 2025, UPenn agreed to issue a public statement and update University swimming records based on the Trump administration's changed interpretation of Title IX, while still crediting Thomas with having set certain records in the 2021–2022 season in accordance with the eligibility guidelines at the time.