Transgender sprinter makes Paralympic history, triathlon takes place

Paris: Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in a Paralympics on Monday, while the delayed triathlon events went ahead after concerns over the Seine’s water quality faded.

Petrillo, 50, finished second in her heat of the T12 400 metres for the visually impaired, qualifying for the semi-finals later Monday.

Petrillo suffers from Stargardt disease, a genetic retinal condition which leads to progressive loss of vision but unlike her opponents in the race at the Stade de France, she competed without a guide runner.

Jetze Plat won the first of the 11 triathlon events, which finally got underway after being postponed by 24 hours due to concerns about the water quality of the River Seine.

The 33-year-old Dutchman claimed his third Paralympic title in a row after victory at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

“I’m mostly just relieved. It’s my third title in the triathlon and I’m very proud of that,” he said.

The triathlon events at the Paris Games were initially scheduled to take place over two days but due to concerns about bacteria levels in the Seine, where the swimming stage of the triathlon takes place, organisers announced that all 11 races would take place on Sunday.

Then heavy rain, which can stir up pollution, fell on the French capital on Saturday, forcing organisers to delay the event.

China moved on to 38 gold medals by midway through the sixth day of action. China has finished top of the medals table at every Paralympics since Athens 2004.

A well-funded British team was chasing hard in second position on 25 golds, with the USA on 11.

The wheelchair rugby tournament reached its climax with Australia and Britain locked in a tight-fought battle for the bronze medal before the USA take on Japan in the gold medal match.

Fast work

Later on Monday, the amputee sprinters will take centre stage on the purple track of the Stade de France.

Italy’s Maxcel Amo Manu set the pace in Sunday’s heats of the men’s T64 100m, while social media hit Hunter Woodhall scraped into the final.

Manu, who won the world title last year, set a new Paralympic record of 10.69sec to lead all qualifiers.

Woodhall had to run flat out to finish third in 11.02sec and book his place in the final.

The 25-year-old American is one half of an Olympic-Paralympic super couple with his wife Tara Davis-Woodhall, who was crowned Olympic women’s long jump champion in the same stadium just weeks ago, when the couple embraced in one of the Games’ most memorable pictures.

Their Instagram account charting their adventures at the Olympics and their life since has attracted more than half a million followers.

Hunter said his wife would be in the crowd to watch the final: “She wouldn’t miss it.”

Britain’s Jonnie Peacock, a two-time champion in the event, and reigning champion Felix Streng of Germany are also medal contenders.

In the pool, the remarkable Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo of Brazil easily won his heat of the S2 200m freestyle as he goes in search of a third gold medal of these Games.

The Brazilian, who has stumps for arms, has become one of the faces of Paris.