Won 11 medals as a man, Italian athlete will now compete with women at Paralympic Games in Paris

Valentina Petrillo is poised to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games, as the visually impaired sprinter has been chosen to represent Italy in the women’s 200 and 400 meters races in Paris.

Before transitioning, Petrillo had secured 11 national titles in the men’s category. After transitioning in 2019, the 50-year-old went on to win bronze medals in both events at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris last year.

"I still find it hard to believe it and I'm keeping my feet on the ground because my chance to participate in Tokyo was missed by a whisker," Petrillo said in a statement on Monday as quoted by Reuters.

"I will only start thinking about the Paris Games once I arrive in France."

Petrillo was 14 when he was diagnosed with Stargardt's syndrome, which limits his vision acuity to 1/50th of the normal range.

While speaking to BBC Sport, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons said that while Petrillo is welcome in Paris under World Para Athletics policies, he wants to see the sporting world "unite" on its transgender policies.

The governing bodies of many sports including athletics, cycling and swimming have tightened their participation rules for transgender athletes in elite women's competitions over the last couple of years. However, the IPC allows governing bodies to set their own policies and World Para Athletics permits an individual legally recognised as a woman to compete in the category for which their impairment qualifies them.

Critics of transgender inclusion in women's sport say going through male puberty imbues athletes with a huge musculo-skeletal advantage that transition does not mitigate.

LGBT advocacy groups say excluding trans athletes amounts to discrimination and that not enough research has been done into the impact of transition on athletic performance.

The 2024 Paris Paralympics run from August 28 to September 8.

(With all inputs from Reuters)