Former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas responds to critics: 'Trans women competing in women's sports does not threaten women's sports'

Two months after becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas pushed back on some of the criticism she received during the 2021-22 season in an exclusive interview with ABC News and ESPN.

Thomas, who declined all interview requests during the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Atlanta in March, found herself at the center of a national debate over who gets to compete in women's sports.

«The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned,» Thomas said. «People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself.»

Thomas swam on the Penn men's swimming team for three seasons, before joining the women's team after a gap year when the Ivy League canceled the 2020-21 season for all sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She made national headlines following her performance at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio, in December of 2021, when she posted the nation's fastest times in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle. At the NCAA swimming and diving championships in March, Thomas won the 500 freestyle, and placed fifth and eighth, respectively, in the 200 and 100 freestyle.

Her participation and success drew criticism from teammates, competitors and other members of the swimming community, including former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who tied Thomas for fifth place in the 200.

«What are we trying to protect?» Gaines said in an interview with ABC's «Nightline.» «If our priorities are fairness, which it should be in sports, why are we completely neglecting that for one person or a small group of people?»

Thomas' name was invoked