Transgender Swimmer Thomas Loses Quest to Become ‘Woman of the Year’ — Columbia Fencer Wins Instead

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The nomination of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for the “Woman of the Year” award stirred significant controversy among Americans.

Lia, formerly William, is a biological male who gained national recognition by switching to the women’s swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania and winning an NCAA swimming championship.

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However, the Ivy League didn’t select Thomas for the award, but instead named Columbia University fencer Sylvie Binder as “Woman of the Year.”

Binder of New York was among the 577 overall students nominated for the special honor.

She placed fifth at The Ivy League championships, second at the Northeast Regional, and third at the NCAA Championships.

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Binder had an overall record of 17-6.

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Binder beat out several other athletes for the distinction including Thomas, whose nomination in mid-July sparked a debate surrounding her eligibility as a transgender female.

Thomas set records in the pool during the 2021-2022 college swimming season, culminating in an NCAA swimming championship in March and a major debate about transgender participation in athletics.

As the 2022 season progressed, Thomas – who started hormone replacement therapy in 2019 – shattered UPenn records in the pool, breaking the university’s school record in the 100 free (47.37), 200 free (1:41.93), 500 free (4:33.24), 1,000 free (9:35.96) and 1,650 free (15:59.71).

At the Ivy League championships in February, Thomas finished first in points out of 129 female swimmers, taking home first place in three events. Thomas won the 100-meter freestyle title in 47.63, which was a school and meet-record time.

Thomas also took home first place in the 200 free, setting meet and pool records with a time of 1:43.12 seconds, and in the 500 free where Thomas set a pool record with a time of 4:37.32. Thomas’ 500 free time at the Ivy League Championships broke the previous record held by Olympian Kate Ziegler, according to Sports Illustrated.