Wat-Not Staff
Valentina Petrillo, an Italian transgender athlete, placed third in her semifinal on Monday at the Paralympic Games, but was unable to advance to the final in the women’s T12 400 meters for visually impaired runners.
Petrillo’s dedication to run
Despite finishing behind Iran’s Hajar Safarzadeh Ghahderijani and Venezuela’s Alejandra Paola Perez Lopez, who all went to Tuesday’s final, 50-year-old Petrillo ran a personal best of 57.58 seconds in the second semifinal. Petrillo qualified for the latter semifinal by running the fourth heat of the first round in 58.35 seconds.
At the age of 14, Petrillo received a diagnosis of Stargardt disease, a retinal ailment that results in a gradual loss of eyesight. As a result, Petrillo gave up running, but her desire to participate was ignited by Italian athlete Pietro Mennea’s 1980 Olympic gold medal winning effort in the 200 meters.
Reason for not being selected in the Paralympics
Petrillo made her appearance a few weeks after Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who won the gold medal, came under fire for allegedly having abnormal sex. One of the most popular stories from the Summer Games was hers. Petrillo’s case is quite similar to Imane Khelif.
Although Petrillo, 50, started her transition in 2019, she has been involved in para sports competitions since she was 41 years old. In 2023, she placed third in the 200 and 400 world championship races, clocking in at 26.31 and 58.24 seconds, respectively.
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