Lia Thomas has confronted her harshest critics, claiming that her treatment was completely unjustified.

The transgender swimmer has been making headlines over the past 12 months after breaking numerous women’s records in the pool.

Thomas’ impressive results sparked great debate among sports fans, with some supporting the University of Pennsylvania’s inclusivity demonstration while others sharply criticized it, calling it unfair to the girls she was competing against.

The hot topic has resulted in Thomas’ name being dragged through the mud as she has been subjected to some pretty nasty comments online.

Now the 23-year-old has decided to finally break her silence and speak out.

“The simple answer is that I am not a man,” she told   Sports Illustrated.

“I’m a woman, so I belong on the women’s team. Transgender people deserve the same respect that every other athlete gets.

“I just want to show trans kids and younger trans athletes that they are not alone. They don’t have to choose between who they are and the sport they love.”

“I don’t know exactly what my swimming career will look like after this year, but I would like to continue. I want to swim and compete as I am.”

In her first year as a swimmer for the UPenn women’s team after competing against men for three seasons, Thomas broke a number of age-old American collegiate records.

Her performance in the pool led to a flood of complaints from swimming rivals and even her own teammates, who claimed that Thomas should not be allowed to compete against other women.

The majority of UPenn swimmers and their parents who spoke out about the incident chose to remain anonymous, however, the comments were also posted on other social media channels where other users could voice their opinions on the matter.

But according to Sports Illustrated, the online reaction became so intense that Thomas was forced to deactivate some direct messages on her Instagram account.

“I don’t look at the negativity and hate,” she added.

“I’m here to swim.

“I’m a woman, just like everyone else on the team. I’ve always seen myself as just a swimmer. This is what I’ve been doing for so long; this is what I love.” She doesn’t think about victories or records, she emphasizes. “I go in the water every day and do my best.”

Before her gender reassignment surgery, Thomas admitted that she felt “uncomfortable” and “alienated from her body.”

“I was very depressed,” says Thomas.

“I got to the point where I couldn’t go to school anymore. I missed classes.

“My sleep pattern was completely messed up. Some days I couldn’t get up. At that moment I knew I had to do something about it.”