F or Valentina Petrillo, the 51-year-old transgender sprinter, the entrance to the Paralympic village was like a portal to another world. Removed from the scrutiny over her participation in Paris, inside she felt like just another athlete living out their dream. “It was the perfect life.
It was beautiful. I was welcomed by everybody,” the Italian says via a translator as she prepares to leave the village for the final time. “Outside, we know it’s not going to be the same.
” Petrillo, who competed as a man up until she was 45, became the first openly transgender Paralympian last week and reached the semi-finals of the T12 200m and 400m for visually impaired athletes. She knew that piece of history would prompt backlash but did not.
