Critics accuse trans swimming star Lia Thomas of having an unfair advantage. The data tells a different story

The NCAA champion has sparked controversy and become a hate figure among conservatives, but statistics show little evidence that she performed any differently to other women, Io Dodds reports

On 17 March, Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win America’s top trophy in university sports when she swam to victory in the women’s 500 yard (457 meter) freestyle race.

Ms Thomas, 22, won first place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) first division swimming championship, her final competition as a college athlete.

Amid her success, though, Ms Thomas has become a lightning rod in the debate about trans women in sport, as well as a target for much of the American right.

Her right to compete in women’s races, and sometimes her gender itself, has been attacked by sports stars, politicians, activists, her competitors, and even some of her teammates’ parents, as well as protesters at the NCAA championship last week, who argued that her time living as a man gives her an unfair advantage.

Lia Thomas breaks silence and defends trans athletes

Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who last year approved legislation banning trans women from high school and college women’s sports, even signed a proclamation on Tuesday declaring 500-yard runner-up Emma Weyant the “rightful winner”.

Yet in all this, there has been scant detail about how Ms Thomas’s performance actually compares to other women at her level. The Independent crunched the numbers – and found little evidence that she poses any threat to women’s sport.

Ms Thomas, 22, won first place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) first division swimming championship, her final competition as a college athlete.

Amid her success, though, Ms Thomas has become a lightning rod in the debate about trans women in sport, as well as a target for much of the American right.

Her right to compete in women’s races, and sometimes her gender itself, has been attacked by sports stars, politicians, activists, her competitors, and even some of her teammates’ parents, as well as protesters at the NCAA championship last week, who argued that her time living as a man gives her an unfair advantage.

Lia Thomas breaks silence and defends trans athletes

Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who last year approved legislation banning trans women from high school and college women’s sports, even signed a proclamation on Tuesday declaring 500-yard runner-up Emma Weyant the “rightful winner”.

Yet in all this, there has been scant detail about how Ms Thomas’s performance actually compares to other women at her level. The Independent crunched the numbers – and found little evidence that she poses any threat to women’s sport.