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“I hope my son is proud of me” the historic athlete cried following her elimination.
Valentina Petrillo, the Italian sprinter who made history as the first out trans runner to compete in the Paralympics Games, failed to qualify for the 400m T12 final despite running a personal best in her heat on Monday.
Petrillo, 51, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a degenerative condition of the eyes, at the age of 14. She competes in the women’s T12 category for athletes with a visual impairment.
“I tried until the end, I couldn’t do it,” Petrillo told reporters after the race, the Athletic reported. “I missed that last straight. They are stronger than me. There is nothing I can do. I had to do 56 [seconds] to get into the final. It’s impossible.”
Petrillo ran a personal best time of 57.58 seconds and finished third in the heat.
“I have to be happy even though I’m a little upset,” she said.
Petrillo then succumbed to the emotions of the moment.
“But I hope my son is proud of me,” Petrillo said as she began to cry.
Petrillo has two adult children with an ex-wife.
“I hope he will always stand by me,” Petrillo added through the tears. “I hope that he loves me even if I am like this. I can’t help it if I’m like this, I’m sorry. Don’t treat trans people badly. We suffer. It’s not fair. We don’t hurt anybody.”
Despite the loss, Petrillo will compete in the 200m T12 event on Friday.
Petrillo won 11 national titles competing in the men's category. With the help of her wife, she began living as a woman in 2018 and initiated hormone therapy in 2018.
She took home gold in the 100m, 200m, and 400m events during competition at the 2021 Italian Paralympic Championships.
Her inclusion in the Paralympics was met with opposition, including from Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt, a German sprinter who will be competing against her on Friday.
J.K. Rowling, who has targeted transgender women for years now with online abuse, celebrated Petrillo’s loss in a post to X Twitter.
“Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over,” the Harry Potter creator posted after the loss, adding, “I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on.”
Petrillo had earlier spoken of the importance of her participation, noting its significance to the greater community.
“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,” Petrillo told BBC Sports. “The historic value of being the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics is an important symbol of inclusion.”
