Valentina Petrillo

Valentina Petrillo (born 2 October 1973) is an Italian Paralympic athlete competing in the 100, 200 and 400 m T12 class visually impaired sprint.

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.

Biography
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.

Soon after finishing studies in Bologna, she joined the Italy national futsal team for visually impaired.

At age 41, Petrillo was determined to get back into athletics, winning 11 national titles in the men's category.

In 2019 she started a gender transitioning process; 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.

Petrillo’s story will be narrated through a movie, currently under development, named 5 nanomoli-Il sogno olimpico di una donna trans.

Athletics career
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, and on April 25, 2021, set a new national record on the 400 meters T13 class, then improved in June of the same year.

On March 22, 2021, she set another new record, this time in 200 meters T12.

Petrillo represented Italy at the 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships, ranking 5th.

National records

 * Seniores
 * 200 meters plain T12: 27"17 (🇮🇹 Ancona, 22 March 2021)
 * 400 meters plain indoor T13: 59"77 (🇮🇹 Piacenza, 20 June 2021)