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Valentina Petrillo

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Valentina Petrillo
Personal information
Born (1973-10-02) 2 October 1973 (age 51)
Naples, Italy
Children2
Sport
CountryItaly
SportParalympic athletics
Disability classT12
EventSprint with sighted guide
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals2021 World Para Athletics European Championships
Medal record
Women's Paralympic athletics
Representing  Italy
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Paris 200 m T12

Valentina Petrillo (Italian: [valenˈtina peˈtrilːo]; born 2 October 1973)[1] is an Italian Paralympic athlete who competes in the women's 100, 200 and 400 metre T12 class visually impaired sprint.[2][3][4]

Petrillo has been the first trans woman to take part in an international Paralympic Women's Championship, debuting at the Italian Paralympic Athletics Championships [it], a milestone for transgender people in sports.[3][2][5][6][7][8]

Biography

[edit]

Valentina Petrillo was born in Naples, Italy, on 2 October 1973. She started practising athletics at a young age until a loss of sight at age 14, due to a diagnosis of Stargardt disease.[3] Soon after finishing studies in Bologna, Petrillo joined the Italy national five-a-side football team for the visually impaired.[3]

In 2014, Petrillo was determined to get back into athletics, winning 11 national titles in the men's category.[3][2]

In 2019, she started a gender transitioning process;[2][9] Petrillo competed for the first time in the women's category at the Italian Paralympic Athletics Championships [it] on 11 September 2020, marking the first time in paralympic sports that a transgender person was allowed to do so.[3][2][5][6][7][8][9] Petrillo has noted she has lost strength since starting feminizing hormone replacement therapy, which is intended to suppress testosterone and raise estrogen levels in the body.[3] Petrillo has met the World Para Athletics requirements for lowered testosterone levels for transgender women athletes which are tested for at least 12 months prior to the competition.[10]

Petrillo's story will be narrated through a movie, currently in development, named 5 nanomoli-Il sogno olimpico di una donna trans.[3][8]

Athletics career

[edit]

In 2020, she started officially competing in the women's category,[3][2][5][6][7][9] and on 25 April 2021, set a new national record on the 400 meters T13 class, then improved in June of the same year.[9][11][12]

On 22 March 2021, she set another new record, this time in 200 meters T12.[13] Petrillo represented Italy at the 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships, ranking 5th.[11][14][15]

In March 2023, Petrillo withdrew from competing in the World Masters Indoor Athletic Championships on account of anti-trans threats and concerns for her safety.[16]

On 2 September 2024, Petrillo debuted at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, qualifying for the semi-finals of the T12 women's 400 metres.[17] She achieved a personal best time of 57.58 seconds in the second semi-final, but failed to reach the final of the event.[18] Petrillo also qualified for the semi-finals of the T12 women's 200 metres on 6 September. She finished ninth with a season's-best time of 25.92 seconds, but failed to advance to the final.[19]

Personal life

[edit]

Petrillo was previously married to a woman. They share two children, a son and a daughter.[20][21]

National records

[edit]
Seniores
  • 200 meters plain T12: 27"17 (Italy Ancona, 22 March 2021)[13]
  • 400 meters plain indoor T13: 59"77 (Italy Piacenza, 20 June 2021)[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Valentina PETRILLO". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Paralimpici: Valentina Petrillo, è lei la prima transgender ammessa a gara ufficiale tra le donne" [Paralympics: Valentina Petrillo, she is the first transgender admitted to an official competition among women]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 9 September 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mitzman, Dany (4 June 2021). "Valentina Petrillo: 'Better to be a slow happy woman than a fast unhappy man'". BBC News. Bologna. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Valentina Petrillo". Italian Athletics Federation (in Italian). Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Valentina Petrillo, la prima atleta transgender a gareggiare tra le donne: "Mi accusano di non essere un buon padre"" [Valentina Petrillo is the first transgender athlete to compete among women]. TgCom24 (in Italian). 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Petrillo, in corsa per Tokyo: "Gareggio con le donne. Trans, del resto, significa 'oltre'"" [Petrillo, running for Tokyo: "I'm racing with women. Trans, after all, means 'beyond'"]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Facchini, Beppe, ed. (8 October 2020). "Valentina Petrillo, la prima atleta paralimpica transgender in corsa per Tokyo 2021" [Valentina Petrillo, the first transgender Paralympic athlete in the race for Tokyo 2021]. fanpage.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "La storia di Valentina Petrillo diventerà presto un film" [Valentina Petrillo's story will soon become a film]. Unione Italiana Sport Per tutti (in Italian). 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "Atletica paralimpica: Valentina Petrillo record italiano nei 400" [Paralympic athletics: Valentina Petrillo Italian record in the 400]. Federazione Italiana Sport Paralimpici e Sperimentali (in Italian). 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  10. ^ Matar, Daniella (24 August 2024). "An Italian sprinter will be the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via PBS News.
  11. ^ a b "Atletica paralimpica, Assoluti di Concesio: sfida Caironi-Sabatini-Contrafatto nei 100, Legnante al rientro in gara" [Paralympic Athletics, Concesio Absolutes: Caironi-Sabatini-Contrafatto challenge in the 100, Legnante back in competition]. Federazione Italiana Sport Paralimpici e Sperimentali (in Italian). 2 July 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Atletica paralimpica: ancora record italiano per Petrillo nei 400 e Tonetto nel disco" [Paralympic Athletics: Another Italian Record for Petrillo in the 400 and Tonetto in the Discus]. Federazione Italiana Sport Paralimpici e Sperimentali (in Italian). 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Atletica paralimpica: Valentina Petrillo record italiano indoor nei 200 ad Ancona" [Paralympic athletics: Valentina Petrillo Italian indoor record in the 200 in Ancona]. Federazione Italiana Sport Paralimpici e Sperimentali (in Italian). 22 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Great Britain and Italy announce squads for Bydgoszcz 2021". paralympic.org. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Bydgoszcz 2021 - Results". paralympic.org. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  16. ^ Webb, Karleigh (14 August 2024). "Valentina Petrillo will be first out transgender athlete at Paralympics, a trans woman in para track and field". Outsports. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024. She met the next obstacle in her path in March 2023. Petrillo withdrew from the World Masters Indoor Athletic Championships in Poland due to anti-trans threats and concerns for her safety. A few days later, the ban on transgender women by World Athletics went into effect and worries grew that World Para Athletics would follow suit.
  17. ^ MacInnes, Paul (3 September 2024). "Transgender sprinter Valentina Petrillo fails to reach 400m final on Paralympic debut". The Guardian. Stade de France. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Italian transgender runner fails to reach 400m final at Paralympics". The Associated Press. 3 September 2024. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024 – via NBC News.
  19. ^ Elliot, Ed (6 September 2024). "Season best for transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo but not enough for final". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  20. ^ Harpur, Charlotte. "Valentina Petrillo, the transgender sprinter at Paralympics – the rules, the science and the future". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  21. ^ Jolly, Patricia (2 September 2024). "2024 Paralympics: Valentina Petrillo, a pioneer for transgender athletes". Le Monde. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
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