Transgender runner fails to qualify for women's 400-meter final at 2024 Paralympic Games

Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo, who became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games, will not race for a medal in the women’s T12 400-meter sprint after a third place finish in Monday’s semifinal. 

The 50-year-old athlete, who began transitioning in 2019, qualified for the semifinal with a time of 58.35 in the first round heat. 

Italy's Valentina Petrillo prepares to compete in the women's 400m T12 round 1, at the Stade de France Stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Jackson Ranger)

Petrillo finished second in the heat without a guide. 

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Petrillo would advance to the semifinal, finishing with a personal best of 57.58. But it wasn’t enough to qualify for Tuesday’s final. The Italian finished third behind Hajar Safarzadeh Ghahderijani of Iran and Alejandra Paola Perez Lopez of Venezuela. 

Petrillo was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition known as Stargardt disease as a teenager. While competing as a male, Petrillo won 11 national titles in the men’s T12 category between 2015 and 2018 before eventually transitioning. 

Italy's Valentina Petrillo competes in the women's 400m T12 round 1, at the Stade de France stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Jackson Ranger)

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"I began transitioning in 2019 and in 2020 I realized my dream, which was to race in the female category, to do the sport that I had always loved doing," Petrillo told The Associated Press in a recent interview.  "I got to 50 before it came true … we all have the right to a second choice of life, a second chance."

While World Athletics banned trans athletes from competing in women’s events if they transitioned after puberty last year, World Para Athletics still allows transgender athletes to participate as long as they declare that their gender identity for sporting purposes is female and provide evidence that their testosterone levels have been below 10 nanomoles per liter of blood for at least 12 months prior to their first competition. 

Italy's Valentina Petrillo reacts as she prepares to compete in the women's 400m T12 round 1, at the Stade de France Stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Jackson Ranger)

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Petrillo was initially reported as the first transgender athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games, but the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed to the BBC that Dutch transgender athlete Ingrid van Kranen, who competed at the 2016 Games in Rio, was. 

Petrillo could still win an Olympic medal in the women’s T12 200-meter. Round 1 begins Friday and the final is slated for Saturday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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