Caitlyn Jenner responds to Lia Thomas interview: I blame the system
Former Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner weighs in on Lia Thomas having no regrets for winning in women’s competition.
Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner said Wednesday that former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas is not the problem, it is the NCAA's rules for transgender athletes.
"This is not Lia Thomas’ fault. She played by the rules … Really, my concerns are with the NCAA. Their rules have to be a lot more stringent. I think they have to be more difficult. I don’t think just one year of hormone replacement therapy is enough," Jenner told "Fox & Friends."
Jenner said that she has been on hormone replacement for seven years of her transition and can still hit a golf ball 280 to 290 yards.
"I'm not blaming her. I'm just blaming the system right now. That has to be looked at," Jenner said.
FORMER PENN SWIMMER LIA THOMAS HAS OLYMPIC GOALS, SAYS TRANS WOMEN 'NOT A THREAT TO WOMEN'S SPORTS'
Thomas sat down with ABC News' Juju Chang for her first televised interview to talk about her controversial season at the University of Pennsylvania, where she became the first transgender woman to win a Division 1 national title.
Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas speaks to her coach after winning the 500 meter freestyle during an NCAA college swimming meet with Harvard Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. The University of Pennsylvania says it will work with the NCAA under its newly adopted standards for transgender athletes. Swimmer Lia Thomas competed on the men’s team at Penn before transitioning. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
"I knew there would be scrutiny against me if I competed as a woman. I was prepared for that but I also don’t need anybody's permission to be myself and do the sport I love," she said in the interview, which aired Tuesday on "Good Morning America."
Thomas, 23, addressed concerns that despite going through a year of hormone therapy, she still had a physical advantage over other female swimmers.
"There’s a lot of factors that go into a race and how well you do and the biggest change for me is that I’m happy and sophomore year, when I had my best times competing with the men, I was miserable. So having that be lifted is incredibly relieving and allows me to put my all into training and racing," Thomas said.
"Trans people don't transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions."
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Though Jenner respects Thomas’ decision to transition, she emphasized that one year of hormone replacement is just "not going to make it" when it comes to reducing the competitive advantages male athletes have over females.
"When you look at her, when she’s standing on the line, she’s taller, bigger, she’s got a longer reach, she’s got bigger hands. She has a tremendous advantage over the women," Jenner said.
"I’ve said from the beginning, I don’t think biological men should play in women’s sports. It’s just not fair."
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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