Reka Gyorgy, a former Olympian and NCAA swimmer, shared a disturbing encounter with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas during the NCAA championships. Gyorgy recalled being in the women’s locker room when she unexpectedly bumped into Thomas, a former men’s NCAA swimmer who transitioned and won a women’s NCAA title. The interaction left Gyorgy stunned, as Thomas’s male genitalia made contact with her hand during the incident.
“I was shocked by his size, about six foot, four inches,” Gyorgy said in a video recounting the event. She explained that the encounter left her feeling terrified, constantly looking over her shoulder, worried Thomas could walk in at any moment while she was changing.
Collegiate athlete Réka György talks about being cheated out of an All-American title in the 500-yard freestyle because Lia Thomas competed in the category.
“Watching that last heat of the 500 freestyle and seeing my name as 17th… I broke down.”
Today she joins 15 current and… pic.twitter.com/6I3Y6ByLwA
— The Free Press (@TheFP) March 14, 2024
Gyorgy joined other NCAA swimmers, including Riley Gaines, who have spoken out about their discomfort with Thomas’s participation in women’s competitions. Gaines described a race where she tied with Thomas but was denied the trophy, which was given to Thomas for photo purposes. Both athletes have been vocal critics of allowing men to compete against women, and their protests helped lead to rule changes at elite competitions, including the Olympics.
Gyorgy now works as the director of operations for the swim and dive teams at Virginia Tech.
