Lia Catherine Thomas (born May 1999) is an American swimmer. She was 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

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks out about backlash, future plans to compete - ABC News

Riley Gaines’ candid words about Lia Thomas’ physique ignite a debate on fairness in women’s sports.

“I tried to refrain from looking,” Riley Gaines’ jaw-dropping confession about Lia Thomas’ striking physique ignites heated sports debate

Riley Gaines and Lia Thomas ( Image via Daily Mail/E! Online )

Lia Thomas has created a stir in the swimming community that is difficult to ignore. Her swimming prowess is matched by her distinctive qualities, which command everyone’s attention.

Riley Gaines, another swimmer who couldn’t help but notice Lia’s unique body, said that not everyone is happy with the attention Lia has received.

Picture of Lia Thomas wearing a one-piece swimsuit with a cap and holding a towel

The swimmer who used the same locker room as Thomas, Riley Gaines, was open about her feelings. She gave a description of Lia’s size that made others stare. Gaines said on a podcast that Lia’s height resembled a “6-foot-4 male.” 

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Gaines felt uneasy after reading this explanation since it gave such a clear image. She acknowledged doing her best to avoid taking unnecessary glances at Thomas’ attractive presence. “I tried to refrain from looking,” Gaines’s unsettling language sparked debates over whether it is fair to let biological males participate in women’s sports.