Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields breaks college record

• Swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields breaks a college record.
• Her performance sparked controversy about trans athletes.
• She was inspired by Lia Thomas.

Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields made history by breaking a college record in New Jersey.

Previously, she had competed on the men’s team for three years, leading to much criticism.

Cortez-Fields won the 100-yard butterfly event.

She set the record with a time of 57:22 at the Cougar Splash Invitational. This was not the only triumph for Meghan over the weekend.

Was Meghan Cortez-Fields’ victory fair?

Transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez-Fields also secured the first place in the 200-yard individual medley.

Additionally, she nabbed second place in the 200-yard butterfly. Many argue that it was not a fair victory.

The Ramapo College swim team, which had congratulated her for her outstanding performance, deleted the post from their social media.

Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, rejected the results through her X (formerly Twitter) account.

«No Middle Ground Anymore»

In an interview with Fox Sports, controversial activist Riley Gaines had strong words for transgender swimmer Meghan Cortez and college athletics.

«Those who choose to turn a blind eye to the injustice of allowing mediocre male athletes to become record-breaking female athletes are incompetent.»

The Ambassador of the Independent Women’s Forum also pointed out that that women are asked to smile and step aside.

«These men are allowed to enter our teams while taking away opportunities, privacy, and safety,» Gaines expressed.

Meghan Cortez-Fields was afraid to win

Meghan Cortez-Fields has responded to all this controversy and the other challenges she has faced.

First, she said that her inspiration is another transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania, named Lia Thomas, who won an NCAA championship just last year.

She also talked about being afraid of success, considering what Thomas went through.

«I felt really bad for her because I know exactly what she was going through. Even at the start of this season, I was afraid to win,» she said.

Lia Thomas is another trans swimmer

Before Meghan Cortez-Fields made headlines, another transgender swimmer caused a major controversy — Lia Thomas.

At the age of 17, in 2017, she began studying at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated in May of last year.

In 2018, she started identifying as transgender, and a year later, she began her transition through hormone therapy.

Three years ago, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, she was already competing on the women’s team, and in 2022, she won the NCAA championship.

She won’t stay silent

As mentioned above, Meghan Cortez-Fields sees Lia Thomas as a source of inspiration.

At the time, Lia Thomas did not remain silent in the face of criticism, stating that she did not need anyone’s permission to be herself, according to Noticias.

«I’m not a doctor, but there are many differences among female athletes; some are very tall and have more muscles,» she asserted.

Finally, she stated that these characteristics should not be grounds for disqualification.