Valentina Petrillo
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 September 1973 Napoli | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Italy | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paralympic athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Disability class | T12 | ||||||||||||||
| Event | Sprint with sighted guide | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Valentina Petrillo (born 2 October 1973) is an Italian Paralympic athlete competing in the 100, 200 and 400 m T12 class visually impaired sprint.[1][2][3]
Petrillo has been the first trans woman to take part in an international Paralympic Women's Championship, debuting at the Italian Paralympic Athletics Championships, a milestone for the transgender people in sports.[2][1][4][5][6][7]
Biography[edit]
Born in Naples on October 2, 1973, Petrillo started practising athletics at a young age until a loss of sight at age 14, due to a diagnosis of Stargardt disease.[2]
Soon after finishing studies in Bologna, she joined the Italy national futsal team for visually impaired.[2]
At age 41, Petrillo was determined to get back into athletics, winning 11 national titles in the men's category.[2][1]
In 2019 she started a gender transitioning process;[1][8] Petrillo competed for the first time in the Woman's category at the Italian Para Athletics Championships on September 11, 2020, marking the first time in Paralympic sports that a transgender person has been allowed to do so.[2][1][4][5][6][7][8]
Petrillo’s story will be narrated through a movie, currently under development, named 5 nanomoli-Il sogno olimpico di una donna trans.[2][7]
Athletics career[edit]
Petrillo began to practise athletics at a young age, but had to stop due to Stargardt disease; at 41 years old, Petrillo returned to sport as a para athlete.
As of 2020, she competes officially in the Women's category,[2][1][4][5][6][8] and on April 25, 2021, set a new national record on the 400 meters T13 class, then improved in June of the same year.[8][9][10]
On March 22, 2021, she set another new record, this time in 200 meters T12.[11]
Petrillo represented Italy at the 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships, ranking 5th.[9][12][13]
National records[edit]
- Seniores
- 200 meters plain T12: 27"17 (
Ancona, 22 March 2021)[11] - 400 meters plain indoor T13: 59"77 ( Piacenza, 20 June 2021)[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "Paralimpici: Valentina Petrillo, è lei la prima transgender ammessa a gara ufficiale tra le donne". 9 September 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Valentina Petrillo: 'Better to be a slow happy woman than a fast unhappy man'". BBC News. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Valentina Petrillo". Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Valentina Petrillo, la prima atleta transgender a gareggiare tra le donne: "Mi accusano di non essere un buon padre"". 4 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Petrillo, in corsa per Tokyo: "Gareggio con le donne. Trans, del resto, significa 'oltre'"". 17 May 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Valentina Petrillo, la prima atleta paralimpica transgender in corsa per Tokyo 2021". 8 October 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "UISP - Nazionale - La storia di Valentina Petrillo diventerà presto un film". 8 September 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Atletica paralimpica: Valentina Petrillo record italiano nei 400". 28 April 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Atletica paralimpica, Assoluti di Concesio: sfida Caironi-Sabatini-Contrafatto nei 100, Legnante al rientro in gara". 2 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Atletica paralimpica: ancora record italiano per Petrillo nei 400 e Tonetto nel disco". 21 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Atletica paralimpica: Valentina Petrillo record italiano indoor nei 200 ad Ancona". 22 March 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Great Britain and Italy announce squads for Bydgoszcz 2021". 30 April 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Bydgoszcz 2021 - Results". Retrieved 23 July 2021.