Volkswacht Bodensee - Transgender US swimmer wins Ivy League 500-yard women's freestyle

Thomas has dominated US collegiate women's swimming recently as a student athlete at Penn State, where just a few years ago she competed as a man.

Her case has divided opinion, with some arguing she has an unfair physiological advantage while others say she should be allowed to compete freely as a woman.

This month the governing body of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming, unveiled new guidelines which include a more stringent threshold for athletes' testosterone levels -- widely seen as making it harder for Thomas to be able to compete in major meets.

But she got the go-ahead to compete in the prestigious Ivy League championships, and came in first place with a time of 04 mins 37.32 secs Thursday -- a record for Harvard University's Blodgett Pool.

She was among three swimmers from Penn State to make the finals.

Thomas beamed and flashed a peace sign as she received the medal.

Also competing Thursday was fellow transgender swimmer Iszac Henig, who won first place in the women's 50-yard freestyle race.

K.Thomson--BTB