Rival of first trans Paralympian fears opponent ‘has a bonus’
- Visually-impaired Italian sprinter, Valentina Petrillo, 50, qualified for the Games
- She’ll become the first ever transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympics
- Her 200m opponent Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt fears she will be at a disadvantage
A sprinter who is set to face the first transgender athlete in Paralympic history at Paris 2024 has spoken out over her fear of being put at a disadvantage.
Visually impaired transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo, 50, will compete in the 200m and 400m sprints at the Paris Games after qualifying for the showpiece event, having claimed bronze at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023.
Petrillo, who was born male with the name Fabrizio, transitioned in 2019 after undergoing hormone therapy. She was also born with Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition that has no cure.
The sprinter’s participation in the Paralympics has sparked controversy and debate following the much discussed boxing gender row involving Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting that engulfed the Olympic Games earlier this month.
Despite being disqualified from competing at the World Championships for failing a gender test, both Khelif and Yu-ting insisted that they were born female and had never identified any differently, each going on to claim triumphant gold medals in their respective weight classes.
The 200m rival of Valentina Petrillo (pictured), who is set to become the first transgender Paralympian in history, fears she is at a disadvantage because of her opponent’s sex at birth
Visually impaired German sprinter Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt, 42, worries that Petrillo, 50, ‘could have an advantage’ because ‘she has lived and trained as a man for a long time’
The visually impaired sprinter, who transitioned in 2019, qualified for the Paralympics in Paris
German Paralympian Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt, who is also visually impaired and set to compete against the Italian in the 200m, expressed her fear over Petrillo’s ‘advantage’ heading into the race.
Petrillo was born with Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition that has no cure
‘Basically, everyone should live in everyday life the way they feel comfortable,’ she began in an interview with Bild. ‘But I find it difficult in competitive sports.
‘She (Petrillo) has lived and trained as a man for a long time, so there is a possibility that the physical requirements are different to those of someone who was born a woman. This could give her an advantage.’
Mueller-Rottgardt, after competing against Petrillo in their most recent race, added: ‘For me, that (her gender) wasn’t a focus because it didn’t affect me. I didn’t even notice it because I couldn’t see her.
‘It was only after the race that people started talking about how masculine she looked. I can’t judge that.’
Mail Sport understands that Petrillo had previously competed in men’s national races before transitioning in 2019. She had won 11 national titles in the men’s T12 category.
Under Rule 4.5 of World Para Athletics’ rules and regulations, the governing body states that athletes who are legally recognised as a women are eligible to compete in female disciplines.
The regulation adds: ‘World Para Athletics will deal with any cases involving transgender athletes in accordance with the International Olympic Committee’s transgender guidelines.’
That policy differs from World Athletics’ stance, however, who banned transgender athletes from competing in women’s events in March 2023, with Lord Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, stating that the decision was take to ensure fairness and ‘protect the female category’.
It comes after the boxing gender row that has revolved around women’s boxing at the Olympic Games over the past few weeks, with Imane Khelif (pictured) and Lin Yu-ting winning gold
Petrillo, who transitioned in 2019, is due to compete in the T12 200m and 400m in Paris
The Italian sprinter won a bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2023
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president, Andrew Parsons, told BBC Sport that Petrillo would be ‘welcome’ at the upcoming games. But he also hoped that sporting bodies around the world could someday unite on their stance on the participation of transgender athletes.
‘I am prepared for the criticism,’ he said when asked by BBC Sport whether he was ready for any possible criticism he may receive in relation to Petrillo’s inclusion.’
Asked whether he was prepared for any possible backlash he may receive in relation to Petrillo’s inclusion, he added: ‘I am prepared for the criticism.’
Speaking on her selection by the Italian team, Petrillo, who will begin her attempts to win at the upcoming games in the T12 women’s 400m on Monday, September 2, thanked organisers for her selection.
‘I have been waiting for this day for three years and in these past three years I have done everything possible to earn it,’ Petrillo told BBC Sport.
‘I deserve this selection and I want to thank the Italian Paralympic Federation and the Italian Paralympic Committee for having always believed in me, above all as a person as well as an athlete.
‘The historic value of being the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics is an important symbol of inclusion.’
In 2017, Petrillo had told her wife that she was transgender and would later start hormone treatment, with her wife supporting her through the process. They remain married and have two children.
She said: ‘I hadn’t planned it. I was in bed with my wife, about to fall asleep, and I said: “Remember I told you once I dressed up as a woman?” before saying “In reality, it wasn’t once, I do it every day”.’
The subject of transgender athletes competing in other female sports has been a much discussed topic in 2024, with darts star Deta Hedman, a three-time World Championship finalist, withdrawing from several events after refusing to compete against trans opponents.
Mueller-Rottgardt also said people should live ‘the way they feel comfortable’ in everyday life
Petrillo’s first in action of the Paralympics comes the T12 women’s 400m event on September 2
She forfeited a match in March at the Denmark Open after being drawn against trans player Noa-Lynn van Leuven from the Netherlands.
Hedman subsequently withdrew from a women’s singles tournament run by the United Kingdom Darts Association in July, after refusing to face transgender player Sam Lewis.
