Swimming-Thomas becomes first trans woman to win NCAA title

Mar 17, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Penn Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas holds a trophy after finishing first in the 500 free at the NCAA Womens Swimming & Diving Championships at Georgia Tech. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) - University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in Division I history after winning the women's 500-yard freestyle in Atlanta.

Thomas beat Virginia's Emma Weyant by 1.75 seconds with a time of four minutes and 33.24 seconds on Thursday, falling short of Katie Ledecky's NCAA record time of 4:24.06.