An emotionally overwhelmed Valentina Petrillo, the Italian transgender sprinter whose participation in the Paralympic Games has caused a storm of controversy, said: “I hope my son will be proud of me,” after she failed to reach the final of the women’s T12 400m on Monday night.

Petrillo finished third in her semi-final, with only the top two going through to the final to face the might of Cuba’s Omara Durand. The 51‑year‑old Italian said her opponents had in the end been “stronger than me” but said she was proud of her achievements as she cut short her post‑race press conference after being overwhelmed by tears.

“I tried my best until the end, I didn’t make it, I missed the last straight,” Petrillo said.

“I pushed more than I did this morning and I tried my best. They are stronger than me, I had to go down too much, to do a 56 [­seconds]. With 57.50, I have to be happy even if I’m a little down.

“I’m a little down, but I hope my son will be proud of me. This is important to me because he has a trans dad, not the dad that everyone dreams of. But I hope he will be proud of me.”

Petrillo competes in the T12 category for visually impaired athletes. She developed stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition, as a child. She also underwent a gender transition in midlife after a successful career as a male para‑athlete and has been the subject of scrutiny and challenge from female para-athletes. In 2021 a petition was submitted to the Italian athletics federation by more than 30 athletes calling for her to be removed from female competition.

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