Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, finishes last in the final championship race

Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, finished last in the final of the 100-yard freestyle at the US NCAA championships on Saturday, bringing an end to her contentious college swimming career.
Thomas, who runs for the University of Pennsylvania, finished eighth in 48.18 seconds, nearly two seconds behind champion Gretchen Walsh, who crossed the finish line in 46.05 seconds.
When Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle title on Thursday, she became the first transgender athlete to win a top-tier National Collegiate Athletic Association title. Thomas swam for Penn’s men’s team before converting to the women’s squad this season.
On Friday, she finished fifth in the 200-meter freestyle final.
Thomas was seeded 10th in the 100 freestyle, but she placed second in her morning heat in 47.37 seconds, her best time of the season, and qualified fourth overall for the final.
Throughout the year, Thomas has been the subject of controversy, with critics and several other swimmers claiming she should not have been allowed to compete because she has an unfair physiological advantage. Others argue that as a woman, she should be able to compete freely.
Thomas said she tried to diffuse the situation after her triumph on Thursday.
“I try to ignore it as much as possible,” Thomas said. “I try to focus on my swimming, what I need to do to prepare for my races, and shut out anything else.”
The governing organization of swimming, USA Swimming, released new standards last month that included a higher testosterone threshold.
However, the NCAA, the governing body for collegiate sports in the United States, decided that those restrictions would not apply to the championships, citing “unfair and potentially damaging implications” on players preparing for the event.