Valentina born Fabrizio Petrillo, born in 1973, turns 50 this year and changes category in national masters athletics competitions. On 11 and 12 March in Ancona he competed for the first time in the F50 category, that is, with female athletes aged 50 to 54. And again, with his ultra-male body, she easily collected the trophies and records that belonged to female athletes.
But What is it like to see a male bodybuilder compete against female bodies live? What are the reactions of the athletes, the public and industry experts?
Today we present to you a report of the Ancona match on March 12th by Marco Alciator, a statistician who has already analyzed Petrillo's performances in detail before and after the transition from the male to the female category (here) and her numerous records in the women's category of able-bodied Paralympic and masters competitions (here).
Once I arrived at the building I had the opportunity to speak with one of the protagonists of the Italian masters sector with international qualifications, who confirmed to me how the masters climate (over 35) is "friendly but there is real competition and nothing is given away". I also managed to get a statement on the event from one of the competition judges and a thought on "fighting unfair competition through doping".
The race of interest this time is the 200m F50 category because Petrillo, born in 1973, moved up from category to national level. The highlight is the 4th series, the fastest one. When Petrillo and the four athletes enter the track, the different physicality is immediately noticeable. At the beginning Cristina Sanulli seems to be able to keep up with Petrillo, who however at the end overtakes her with a sprint and takes first place.
Cristina Sanulli crosses the finish line second, followed by Denise Neumann and Agnese Rossi (here the video, 32'30”). The three of them would be on the podium, if it weren't for the fact that even today Petrillo is incredibly authorized to compete in the women's category: in the men's M50 category with his time he would have ranked 14th, over two seconds behind.
At the end of the race, a distinct “Well done Cristina!” can be heard from the stands, followed by a liberating and convinced applause from the stands, made up largely of athletes and other team members in uniform. At that point Petrillo loses control, he leans out and shouts two or three times: “Dedicated to all those who hate me”, and here he is reprimanded by the referees. It must be said that I didn't feel any offense or even boos towards her, the focus was on supporting the athletes.
The moral winner is certainly Cristina Sanulli, with a time that would have earned her the Italian record in the category, but bureaucratically it is not his. For now, Petrillo's time is recorded as a record. Note how there speaker has a jolt of authenticity and ask - far from the microphones but audible -: “But can it be given as a record?” (video, at minute 34'10”).
The awards ceremony takes place quickly with the presentation of medals and t-shirts, but with a clear sense of unfairness for what we see before our eyes: an athlete who was at a regional level in the men's category who now, as a "woman", beats international champions despite her visual disability.
I get to talk to injured athletes. Agnese Rossi in conditions of sporting fairness she would have reached the podium, which today she was denied, and she is very clear when she says: "The sporting spirit involves recognizing when there are stronger athletes, but the competition must take place with respect for the category: with athletes of the same sex, not with those who have maintained a man's body." And it is particularly convincing when he recalls the time taken away from family and work in order to achieve the goal.
Denise Neumann, international level athlete, manages to get on the podium but she is denied the second place she was entitled to. Thank you for the support you have received for women's sport hopes that this year will bring new rules from the point of view and we will return to competing fairly, listening to the voices of the athletes. Neumann thinks about new generation of girls: “The medals can be recovered at a later time but the gratification taken away on the day of the race cannot be returned.”
Here then Cristina Sanulli, the fastest, doubly damaged, deprived of victory and a national master record. She is fully happy with her timed performance of 26.50, perhaps the best indoor time ever, but with "a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth because [my time] it would have been an Italian record but Valentina Petrillo beat me with a time of 26.25”.
Sanulli adds: “I also speak on behalf of the majority of the girls who run with me: we don't feel equal, precisely because [Petrillo's] physical structure is male, and therefore it is like running not at par. […] Although the [personal] path that Valentina has followed is highly respectable, athletically speaking it is not, and in this we feel very discriminated against.”
Cristina Sanulli also remembers her thirty years of career and sacrifices, and the many aspects that contribute to high-level results: passion for sport, dedication to training, specific diet and determination.
This brings Petrillo's master's qualifications to 8, as he had no qualifications before the transition. In addition to the record in the 200m, Petrillo's victory in the 400m against Cassandra Sprenger had been recorded the day before, with an increasingly long list of dozens of damaged and unheard athletes.
Valentina Petrillo is already registered for the Masters Athletics World Championships which will be held in Torun, Poland, from 26 March to 1 April. At an international level, the category change occurs on the birthday, so Petrillo, who will turn 50 in October, will still participate in the 45-49 age category this year. When he was Fabrizio he wasn't among the top 20 in Italy, like Valentina he could soon get on the world podium.
Marco Alciator
Introduction by Maria Celeste
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