Yale transgender swimmer Iszac Henig wins Ivy League Championship in 50 free – Fox News

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Yale transgender swimmer Iszac Henig won the Ivy League Championship in the 50-yard freestyle Thursday night.

Henig narrowly defeated Princeton’s Nikki Venema with a time of 21.93 seconds in the event. Venema finished in 22.30, while Brown’s Samantha Scott finished in third at 22.81. Henig entered the event with the fastest time in the preliminaries at 22.17.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Yale's Iszac Henig stands on the pool deck before warming up for an event at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. Henig, who is transitioning to male but hasn't begun hormone treatments yet, is swimming for Yale's women's team.

Yale’s Iszac Henig stands on the pool deck before warming up for an event at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. Henig, who is transitioning to male but hasn’t begun hormone treatments yet, is swimming for Yale’s women’s team.
(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Henig, who is transitioning from female to male and uses male pronouns, swam on Yale’s 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished second Wednesday night to Harvard. He competed in the first leg of the event against Penn’s Lia Thomas, who is transitioning from male to female. 

Thomas finished the first leg of Wednesday’s relay with a 1:44.50 while Henig finished in 1:44.65.

Yale finished in first place in the 200-yard freestyle relay. He, Lindsey Wagner, Ophelia Pilkton and Marissa Healy finished with a 1:29.66 in the event.

Henig is from California and has been competing for Yale since 2018.

LIA THOMAS, PENN JUMP INTO IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH 3RD PLACE FINISH IN 800-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY

Yale's Iszac Henig reacts after setting a pool record in a 50-yard freestyle qualifying event at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.

Yale’s Iszac Henig reacts after setting a pool record in a 50-yard freestyle qualifying event at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.
(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Henig has had his breasts removed but wrote in a New York Times column in June he was not taking hormones yet because he wanted to compete in the pool.

“As a student-athlete, coming out as a trans guy put me in a weird position,” Henig wrote. “I could start hormones to align more with myself, or wait, transition socially and keep competing on a women’s swim team. I decided on the latter.

“I value my contributions to the team and recognize that my boyhood doesn’t hinge on whether there’s more or less testosterone running through my veins. At least, that’s what I’ll try to remember when I put on the women’s swimsuit for the competition and am reminded of a self I no longer feel attached to.”

Henig’s specialty in the pool is freestyle and butterfly.

Yale's Iszac Henig smiles while talking to a coach before team relay events at the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.

Yale’s Iszac Henig smiles while talking to a coach before team relay events at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.
(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Henig will be competing through the weekend .