Olympic swimmer blasts transgender participation policy after Lia Thomas’ win at NCAA Championships

Hungarian swimmer Reka Gyorgy has hit out at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for allowing transgender athlete Lia Thomas to compete alongside other women.

Gyorgy, 25, missed out on a place in the 500m freestyle final at the NCAA Championships last week after finishing 17th in prelims – one place away from qualifying for the final.

Thomas, who began her transition in 2019 by starting hormone replacement therapy, made history on Thursday by becoming the first known transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship with her victory in the 500m freestyle.

However, Thomas’ attendance at the event was met by protestors from Save Women’s Sports, with one holding up a sign in the stands which read: ‘Say no to males competing as females’.

Gyorgy, who represented Hungary at the Olympics in 2016, has accused the NCAA of being ‘disrespectful to biologically female swimmers’ over its decision to give Thomas the green light to compete.

In a statement on her personal Instagram page, Gyorgy wrote: ‘With all due respect, I would like to address something that is a problem in our sport right now and hurting athletes, especially female swimmers.

‘Everyone has heard and known about transgender, Lia Thomas, and her case including all the issues and concerns that her situation brought into our sport. I’d like to point out that I respect and fully stand with Lia Thomas; I am convinced that she is no different than me or any other D1 swimmer who has woken up at 5am her entire life for morning practice.

‘She has sacrificed family vacations and holidays for a competition. She has pushed herself to the limit to be the best athlete she could be. She is doing what she is passionate about and deserves that right.

‘On the other