Martina Navratilova breathes a sigh of relief as UPenn decides to strip off transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' records & titles

Martina Navratilova recently expressed her glee at the news of the University of Penn banning transgender swimmer Lia Thomas after its inability to follow the Title IX civil rights law. As a result, the 26-year-old will be stripped off all of her titles and accomplishments in women's national swimming.

Thomas first came into the public eye in March 2022 by becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport with her run in the 500-yard freestyle discipline. The American subsequently received the ire of the rest of the sporting community over her gender identity.

Earlier on Tuesday (July 1), it came out that the University of Penn has decided to vacate all of the titles, records, and recognitions held by Lia Thomas, alleging that the swimmer had "misappropriated" them by being a 'male athlete competing in female categories'. More interestingly, the Ivy League college also issued a public statement apologizing for Thomas' inclusion in female athletic programmes.

Martina Navratilova took great joy in the above news if her reaction on X (formerly Twitter) is anything to go by. The 59-time Major winner wrote:

"Wow!!!! Better late than later, I say!!! 👏👏"

For those unaware, Martina Navratilova has been a staunch critic of transgender athletes competing in women's sports. In August 2023, the American legend used her social media platform to disapprove of trans-identifying lifter Avi Silverberg after the latter broke Alberta's women's bench press record in the 84+ kg category. She wrote

"It is happening literally everywhere…"

More recently, the 68-year-old also spoke out in depth against the USTA's "Transgender Inclusion Policy" in a tell-all interview.

"There is a certain step-ladder that you have to go through before you get to elite sports. So it really starts in high school and then you come out to go to your local meet, and there is a boy that has a pony tail and a nail polish and identifies as a girl... Now these girls are like, 'I can't compete against that, I have no chance," Martina Navratilova told journalist Amol Rajan last month.

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Martina Navratilova previously approved of Donald Trump banning transgender athletes from women's sports competitions

In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to disallow transgender athletes from competing in women's sports across the country. Although Martina Navratilova is usually at loggerheads with the $5 billion-worth entrepreneur (via Celebrity Net Worth) over his policies, she surprisingly "credited" him for the move in a reply on X. She wrote:

"I think crediting him once already is enough. Meantime our country is on fire… and I don’t mean California."

Navratilova, meanwhile, became an LGBTQIA+ icon during her hey-day as she won countless titles despite always being under the media's microscope due to her sexuality. The American won 18 Major titles in singles, 31 in women's doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles.