The great tennis player Martina Navratilova has slammed Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo as a “pathetic cheat” as the 50-year-old prepares to become the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics next week.
Navratilova, an outspoken advocate for protecting women's rights in sport, took to social media on Thursday to criticize Petrillo, who is scheduled to compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the women's 200 and 400 metre races in the T12 classification for visually impaired athletes.
Valentina Petrillo of Italy celebrates after the women's 400m T12 final during day six of the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships at the Stade Charlety on July 13, 2023 in Paris, France. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
“Petrillo is a pathetic cheater,” Navratilova's post on X read.
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In an earlier post in response to a video of Petrillo talking about the Summer Games, Navratilova said it was “disgusting” that the Italian runner was “stealing women's trophies.”
“Another man stealing trophies from women. [the] Paralympics, no less. Disgusting.”
Petrillo, 50, was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease known as Stargardt disease as a teenager. The Italian athlete She competed as a man, winning 11 national titles in the men's T12 category between 2015 and 2018 before finally making the transition.
“I started my transition in 2019 and in 2020 I made my dream come true, which was to compete in the women’s category, to do the sport that I had always liked,” Petrillo told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I turned 50 before it became a reality… we all have the right to a second choice in life, a second chance.”
Valentina Petrillo of Italy trains in Pieve di Cento, near Bologna, Italy, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Valentina Petrillo is set to become the first transgender woman to compete in the Paralympic Games later this month in Paris. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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Last year, World athletics is banned Transgender athletes are not allowed to compete in female events if they have transitioned after puberty. But its Paralympic counterpart, World Para Athletics, has not followed suit, allowing Petrillo to become the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympic Games.
According to AP, the WPA said transgender athletes in its women's competitions must declare that their gender identity for sporting purposes is female and provide evidence that their testosterone levels have been below 10 nanomoles per liter of blood for at least 12 months before their first competition.
Some competitors have publicly expressed concerns about the fairness of Petrillo's participation in the women's events. It is something the sprinter has considered.
Valentina Petrillo of Italy at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris on July 13, 2023. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
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“I've asked myself: 'But Valentina, if you were a biological woman and you saw a Valentina running with you, what would you think?' And I answered myself that I would have some doubts too,” Petrillo told the AP. “But then through my experiences and what I learned I can clearly say … that it doesn't mean that because I was born a man I'm going to be stronger than a woman.”
Petrillo, who won bronze in the 200m and 400m races at last year's World Para Athletics Championships, will have the chance to compete for a spot in the finals of the 400m and 200m races, which will take place on 3 and 7 September respectively.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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