Valentina Petrillo - Italian Paralympian sprinter

[andyoldlabour]

Back in September, Valentina Petrillo won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m, at the Italian Paralynpic championships in the T12 class.
In 2018 Valentina was competing in the men's division and won gold at 200m and 400m.
Valentina has achieved the qualifying time in all three events for the Tokyo Paralympics next year.

www.outsports.com/2020/9/18/21443929/italy-athletics-valentina-petrillo-transgender-athletes-athletics-paralympics-tokyo-sprints

Another woman deprived of her rightful place on the Paralympic Team.

I don't see how this won't become an arms race. As increasing numbers of transwomen achieve times that has won them gold in men's divisions, the qualifying times will be harder for women to achieve. On top of that, nations are going to be aware that their best chance for medals will be to find their own transwomen who have, coincidentally, been winning medals in men's races less than 2 years prior...

More sunlight at the Olympics.

(Which I am not normally interested in.)

This is a clear admission from Valentin on how easy it was.

" “I feel at home, in the category I belong. Looking back, I’m even more aware of how hard it was for me to run with men. I felt so out of place.”

This makes me so sad. Can you imagine the barriers to participation female para athletes have anyway, then throw in a biological male into a race too!

I wonder how they would feel if an able bodied man identified both as a woman and as disabled. Because if you can feel like the opposite sex why can’t you also feel like you’re really disabled inside?

I wonder how they would feel if an able bodied man identified both as a woman and as disabled
Not possible - there are very strict criteria for entering in different disability categories. A few people succeed in worming their way in, but it's not just a case of 'identifying'.

I'm sure that Valentina would agree that it's essential to keep people in the appropriate disability category, otherwise it would be unfair

Should also be noted that Valentina is 46!!!!!
Now we know all those other premenopausal women athletes aren't trying hard enough. A bit more effort ladies and you too can break records long after your peak years.

Why is acceptable to identify into the women category, but not into the disabled categories?

Why are there stringent and measurable criteria defining the disabled categories, but not the women category?

So a woman has lost a place here. She must have gone through so much to get there (considering it’s the Paralympics). What a slap in the face.

Because women don't matter.

I wonder how old the other winners were because 46 seems pretty old to be competing in this category.

A better report here
www.womenarehuman.com/male-trans-athlete-wins-three-paralymic-gold-medals-in-womens-running-events/

This particular athlete has had 2 chances to excel. First as a young athlete with the men and then when too old for that a second opportunity to gain records with the women. Laura Hubbard gold medal weightlifter has had a similar career; rather mediocre competing when young against men, then when middle aged a golf medal winner against the women..

"I hope to win the race, shake hands with the other girls on the podium and receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers"

Yep, it's all about the flowers for us girls.

Girls? I’ve not been a bloody ‘girl’ since I was at primary schools.

46!

Did it take them a very long time to figure out how uncomfortable competing against men was then??

Petrillo, who is listed as male on identification documents, became the first male athlete to compete against women in Paralympic events.

Absolutely shameful.

I only hope the world will look back in horror and shock at this. Otherwise we will truly be living in a dystopian nightmare.

It's interesting, what you can and can't identify into.I remember there was controversy a little while ago because a woman was disqualified from the wheelchair race in the Paralympics because her paralysis was caused by conversion syndrome - a mental illness - rather than a physical illness or injury. The experts said that she wasn't faking it, but because her illness was mental it meant that her leg muscles were still being subtly used even if she consciously thought she couldn't walk. And sure enough, if you compared her muscle tone to the other competitors she appeared to be a lot fitter. It's interesting, because to my mind disability is more socially constructed than sex, and yet the Paralympics has very objective standards.

It really does throw up the contrast very starkly doesn't it?

This person is allowed to compete in the Paralympics because they are blind. They are in a carefully selected category competing with other people with a similar level of visual impairment.

How would they feel if a sighted person decides to identify as blind and take part? I mean would it be Ok because they really really felt like they were blind? Or they agreed to wear dark glasses (equivalent of suppress testosterone) to make it a little bit harder?

I mean it wouldn't matter if that person then went on to win all the medals would it? Because that's being inclusive right?

It wouldn't even matter if say it was Linford Christie would it? What if he fancies a crack at a second career? He's got a few options now identify as female or as disabled or why not both?

Jesolo will also be an important test for the visually impaired T12 sprinter Valentina Petrillo (Homer Bergamo), the first transgender athlete in the world admitted in an official race among women.
In his Paralympic sports career he has already won 11 Italian titles in the men's category, before embarking on transitional hormone therapy in January 2019. Today its blood parameters of testosterone are within the required limits (10 nanomols) to be able to compete in the female gender, as indicated by the 2015 IOC guidelines

So all this athlete had to do was reduce their testosterone which has clearly not had much negative impact on their performance as they swept the board against much younger athletes. Can the officials approving this not see the link there at all??

from this article below, the pronouns have gone a bit wappy because google translated it from Italian for me.
fispes.it/news/atletica-paralimpica-assoluti-jesolo-caironi-al-rientro.-gara-tra-le-donne-la-prima-atleta-transgender

Too old for one category, take a pill for a year and then begin again again against a group that even with your advancing years can't compete physically with you. What a temptation for someone to extend a profitable athletic career!

How can people celebrate this?

So does this give permission to others to 'self identify' into other Paralympic groups? If not, why not?

The natal female althletes need to boycott snd set up their alone paralympics with fair rules. Heartbreaking for those who have already so many challenges with disabilities. Hopefully sponsors will take note. It’s not a good look is it. ....