An Italian transgender runner competed in the Paralympics, coming third in the semi-finals but failing to qualify for the women's 400m sprint in the T-12 division.
Valentina Petrillo, who is biologically male, advanced to the semi-finals in the first round of the Paris Paralympics with a time of 58.35 seconds. However, in the semi-finals, Petrillo finished third with a time of 57.58 seconds. According to Fox News.
Hagar Safrazadeh Gahaderjani Iranian Paralympian Alejandra Paolo Pérez López finished in 56.07 seconds, while Venezuelan Paralympian Alejandra Paolo Pérez López Finished Second place in 56.34 seconds.
Petrillo started running at a young age, but stopped after he was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at 14, and it wasn't until he was 41 that he began competing in para athletics as a man. According to Athletic.
Symptoms of Stargardt disease include “gradual loss of central vision in both eyes,” “grey, black, or blurry spots in the center of your vision,” “sensitivity to light,” and “color blindness.” According to National Eye Institute.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
Valentina Petrillo, who is biologically male but “identifies” as female, will not be competing for the Paralympic gold medal after failing to qualify in the semi-finals of the women's T12 400m.
Petrillo said on the same day that his critics were simply “jealous” of him. https://t.co/178qZ6KbNM pic.twitter.com/x96bETY1W2
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) September 2, 2024
Petrillo said after the loss that he “tried harder” than he had in the morning, but added that the other players were “stronger” than him.
“I tried to go all the way to the end, but I just couldn't do it,” Petrillo told the outlet. “I missed it last night. I tried harder than I did this morning, I pushed myself harder. They're stronger than me. There's nothing I can do. I had to go under 56 seconds to get into the final. 57.58 is not going to cut it. I'm a little disappointed, but I have to be happy.”
According to the outlet, Petrillo won 11 national titles while competing in the men's T12 division from 2015 to 2018.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Petrillo is set to win a bronze medal in the women's 400 meters at the 2023 Paralympics.
After coming out as transgender to his wife in 2018, Petrillo “started living as a woman” and began hormone therapy in early 2019. According to BBC News.
