The Italian Valentina Petrillo, who made history Monday by becoming the first transgender woman to compete in the Paralympic Gamespassed the first round but was eliminated in the 400 meters semifinalsclass T12 for the visually impaired.
Petrillo, 50, competed at the Stadium de France, before an attentive crowd of nearly 70,000, and bid farewell to his participation in the 400 meters in the semifinals, as he finished third in his series.
The Italian clocked a time of 57.58 at the finish line, a personal best, behind Iranian Hajar Safarzadeh (56.07) and Colombian Alejandra Paola Gómez with her guide Markinzon Manzanilla (56.34), who two advanced to the round.
Valentina Petrillo was born a boy in Naples in 1973. In 2017 she said enough was enough. She thought it was time to stop hiding and try to be and live as she truly feels, as a woman. She began gender reassignment in 2019, in 2021 she became eligible to compete in the female category under International Paralympic Committee regulations and in 2023, for the legal purposes of the Italian administration, she completed her transition to a woman
For Petrillo, the hormonal treatment he follows allows him to divide his testosterone level by four and, therefore, comply with the required values of five nanomoles per liter of blood required by the International Paralympic Committee in its regulations .
In the Paris Paralympic Games he also plans to compete in the 200 meters.
Source: La Verdad
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