Valentina Petrillo

Started: She began running at an early age but stopped after she was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at age 14. She took up Para athletics at age 41. (bbc.com, 04 Jun 2021) Reason: She was inspired to pursue athletics after seeing Italian sprinter Pietro Mennea win gold in the 200m at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. "From that moment on, my adventure in pursuit of a dream began - to win an Olympic title. Athletics is my life, I like running, but above all I like running fast." (tg24.sky.it, 14 Aug 2024) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (bbc.co.uk, 12 Aug 2024) Additional Info: TRANSITION In 2017 she told her wife that she wanted to become a transgender woman, and in January 2019 she began hormone therapy. "I'm happy as a woman and running as a woman is all I want. I couldn't ask for more. I dream of a future where no one has to hear stories like mine anymore. For 44 years I had no tools, I thought I was the only one in the world experiencing this situation. I was born in Naples in the seventies, where the femminielli were considered the 'scum' of society. I had an older relative who declared that she was trans and she was kicked out of the house by her father. I was scared and hid. I dream of a future in which there are no longer children, girls, teenagers, forced to hide, to be afraid, to not be able to express themselves for who they are: in the family, in society, in everyday activities." (bbc.com, 04 Jun 2021; odiarenoneunosport.it, 10 Feb 2021; thepinknews.com, 14 Sep 2020) PARALYMPIC PARTICIPATION A variety of media outlets have described her as the first transgender Paralympian, however the International Paralympic Committee has stated that she is not the first transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games. (IPC, 14 Aug 2024)