Season best for transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo but not enough for final

Italian transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo ran a season-best time of 25.92 seconds but failed to qualify for the final of the women’s T12 200m at the Paralympics in Paris.

The 51-year-old, who transitioned in 2019, finished ninth across the three semi-finals on Friday evening at Stade de France.

Petrillo also posted the ninth best time in the morning session – 25.95 secs – when she was among 12 athletes to progress from the initial heats.

Reigning champion Omara Durand of Cuba was the fastest qualifier, in a time of 24.41 secs.

Visually-impaired Petrillo, who was diagnosed with Stargardt disease – a genetic eye condition – aged 14, previously won 11 national titles in the men’s category as a married father of two.

On Monday, she qualified for the semi-finals of the women’s T12 400m event but subsequently failed to progress to the medal race.

According to the International Paralympic Committee, Naples-born Petrillo is the second transgender Paralympian.

Dutch discus thrower Ingrid van Kranen, who died in 2021, finished ninth in the F11 classification at Rio 2016.