50-Year-Old Transgender Athlete to Compete in Women’s Events at the Paralympics
Valentina Petrillo, a 50-year-old Italian runner who previously won 11 national titles as a male athlete, is set to become the first transgender athlete to compete in women’s events at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Petrillo, a visually impaired runner who transitioned in 2019, has been selected to represent Italy in the women’s 200m and 400m events at the Paralympics.
“I still find it hard to believe and am keeping my feet on the ground because I narrowly missed out on Tokyo. I’ll only start thinking about the 2024 Olympics once I set foot in France,” Petrillo stated on August 12. Born in Naples in 1973, Petrillo began training in athletics at a young age, but lost her vision at 14 after being diagnosed with Stargardt disease—a degenerative eye disease that leads to gradual vision loss, often starting in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood.
After completing her education in Bologna, Petrillo joined Italy’s national blind futsal team. At the age of 41, she returned to athletics and won 11 national titles in the men’s category.
Since transitioning in 2019, Petrillo first competed in the women’s category at the 2020 Italian Para Athletics Championships, marking the first time a transgender athlete was allowed to compete in such a capacity within the Paralympic sports system.
Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), told BBC Sports that Petrillo would be welcomed at the Paris 2024 Paralympics under the World Para Athletics policy, which allows athletes legally recognized as women to compete in the category they qualify for. The IPC leaves it to individual sports federations to establish their own policies regarding athlete selection.
Parsons expressed readiness to face potential criticism for Petrillo competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. “We need to respect the rules,” he said. “Currently, World Para Athletics regulations permit Petrillo to compete. Therefore, she will be welcomed like any other athlete.” Petrillo’s vision is limited to 1/50 of normal sight after being diagnosed with Stargardt syndrome at age 14, leading to a progressive loss of vision.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics will take place in Paris, France, from August 28 to September 8. All Paralympic events will be held in and around Paris, including the suburbs of Saint-Denis, Versailles, and Vaires-sur-Marne.
This will be Paris’s first time hosting the Paralympics and France’s second time hosting the event, following the 1992 Winter Paralympics in Tignes and Albertville.
