Topic: Valentina Petrillo

Biological male cyclists Tiffany Thomas in the U.S. and Valentina Petrillo in Italy are dominating female competitions, often defeating women half their age. Petrillo, a 50-year-old who has not undergone surgery, holds eight women's championship titles but would have finished 14th in the men's division. In response to such disparities, World Athletics recently announced it would exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from elite female events.

Transgender runner Valentina Petrillo has faced criticism from Italian feminists for competing in both women's and disabled categories. Petrillo responded to detractors by comparing sex-based sports categories to Nazi-era bans on Jewish athletes and the segregation of plague sufferers. Despite the controversy, Petrillo continues to win gold medals in female tournaments, having previously won no titles while competing as a man.