First out trans Paralympian Valentina Petrillo shares emotional update after failing to reach final
Valentina Petrillo is one of five LGBTQ+ athletes at the Paralympics. (Getty)
The first out transgender Paralympian Valentina Petrillo finished third in the semi-finals of the women’s T12 400m race on 2 September, meaning that she was unable to reach the finals.
Petrillo — who became the first out transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games — came in third place in her semi-final, while only the top two runners reached the final to compete against Cuba’s Omara Durand.
The 51-year-old trailblazing athlete said that her competition was “stronger than me”, but was proud of her achievements despite expressing her emotions during the post-race press conference.
Petrillo said: “I tried my best until the end, I didn’t make it. I missed the last straight.
“I pushed more than I did this morning and I tried my best. They are stronger than me, I had to go down too much, to do a 56 [seconds]. With 57.50, I have to be happy even if I’m a little down.
“I’m a little down, but I hope my son will be proud of me. This is important to me because he has a trans dad, not the dad that everyone dreams of. But I hope he will be proud of me,” she concluded.
The sprinter represented Italy in the T12 classification, for athletes with visual impairment, and previously finished second in the semi-finals with a time of 58.35 seconds, 1.38 seconds behind Venezuela’s Alejandra Paola Perez Lopez, and qualified sixth fastest for the semis.
Petrillo transitioned in 2019 and achieved her dream of competing as an athlete in the female category in 2020. Paris is her first Paralympic Games, but she is already making history.
After qualifying for the semis, she said: “The atmosphere in the stadium is great, it’s a dream come true. From today, I don’t want to hear anything more about discrimination, prejudices against transgender people.”
Petrillo has been allowed to compete in the Paralympics under current World Para Athletics requirements, despite opposition from other competitors.
Ukraine’s Oksana Boturchuk, who also qualified for the semi-finals, said: “I find this not fair. I am not against transgenders in general but in this situation, I do not understand and don’t support it.”
Venezuela’s Paralympic Committee said Petrillo’s inclusion was “a terrible inequality that puts female athletes at a great disadvantage”.
This is not the first time Petrillo has faced a backlash. When she beat Melani Bergés Gámez to seal her qualification for Paris, the Spanish sprinter called it an “injustice”.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allows international sporting governing bodies to set their own policies and its president, Andrew Parsons, has previously told BBC Sport that Petrillo is “welcome” in Paris under current guidelines but wants to see the sporting world “unite” on transgender athletes.
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