Valentina Petrillo Qualifies for 400m T12 Semi-Finals at Paralympics

Sep 2, 2024, 12:16 PM

Valentina Petrillo, a 51-year-old transgender athlete from Italy, made history by becoming the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games. Petrillo participated in the women's 400m T12 category at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and qualified for the semi-finals. Despite setting a personal best of 57.58 seconds, Petrillo did not qualify for the final. Petrillo's participation has sparked controversy, with some critics arguing about fairness in competition. Petrillo previously competed in men's events until 2019 and has won 11 national titles in the men's category.