Transgender athlete Lia Thomas is one of the most controversial figures in all of sports right now. After becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division One championship, Thomas found herself surrounded by controversy.

On one hand, she found support in trans allies who celebrated her inclusion and victory in sports. On the other hand, there were those who discredited her win and chalked it up to her unfair biological advantage.

Naturally, many compare Lia Thomas to Katie Ledecky, who is the greatest swimmer of all time, and holds many NCAA swimming records.

Katie Ledecky vs Lia Thomas: height comparison

Inarguably, Katie Ledecky is the greatest female swimmer of all time. With 7 Olympic gold medals and 15 World Championship gold medals to her name, she is the most decorated female swimmer.

On the other hand, Lia Thomas has only won the 500-yar freestyle event in the NCAA Divison I championship. However, she is certainly hoping to go to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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In fact,  USA Swimming officials have stated that they would have no qualms in sending her to the Paris Olympics. All she has to do is continue meeting the criteria that allow her to continue swimming in the women’s division.

When it comes to a height comparison between Lia Thomas and Katie Ledecky, there isn’t a lot of difference. Ledecky, the greatest female swimmer ever, is 1.83-meters in height, which is exactly 6 feet.

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Similarly, Lia is 1.85-meters tall, which is just two centimeters taller than Ledecky. There isn’t a lot of difference between the two athletes’ heights. Nevertheless, Katie Ledecky stands head and shoulders above Thomas and the rest of the women swimmers in terms of achievements.

Mothers of Lia’s competitors condemn her participation

Several mothers of Lia Thomas’ competitors spoke to the New York Post, raising concern about equality in the competition. They complained about the sacrifices their daughters made, only for Thomas to upstage them with her unfair biological advantage.

One of the mothers described how her daughter swam against Lia at Yale this year. “It was just a miserable experience all around,” she described.

Moreover, the mother stated that this was an example of “literally bending over for male privilege”. “It’s humiliating,” she continued. Another mother expressed how they were not opposing the trans movement or Lia Thomas herself.

However, they still expressed their desire to see girls be able to compete under fair conditions. While the sacrifices of professional athletes in their efforts to get to the top cannot be denied, do you think the mothers have a fair point?

WATCH THIS STORY: How Far is Controversial Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas From Breaking US Star Katie Ledecky’s NCAA Records?