You can afford to stay within your cocoon for only so long. As the debate over making sports more accessible continues to divide the community, an amicable solution has yet to be reached. With prominent global figures like J.K. Rowling weighing in on the issue, one Paralympic track and field star seems to have a clear stance when it comes to allowing more trans athletes to compete in tournaments.

The USA Boxing has made significant changes to its regulations in recent times, ushering in a new era for trans sports stars. However, others aren’t fully on board yet. But Italian Paralympian and trans athlete Valentina Petrillo isn’t one to let that affect her own dreams.

Italian Paralympics star hints at a prolonged career

Petrillo made her debut on the grand stage at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where she reached the semifinals of the women’s 400m T12. Although she didn’t advance to the finals, Petrillo remains optimistic that better days are ahead. Despite her age not being entirely in her favor, she believes competing at the LA Paralympics four years later is still within reach. A September 23 article by OutSports highlights what is fueling her dream of representing the Italian Paralympic contingent in 2028.

“I was not totally satisfied with how I ran in Paris. I think I haven’t reached my physical limit. I can push for more, especially at 400 meters, so I’m not ruling out anything for the future,” the article quotes Valentina. She went on to note that her ambition is only supplemented by her love for running despite her physical adversities.

“This run goes beyond age and classification. I had a passion for this sport,” the Paralympics star said about why she keeps coming back to the tracks despite all the flak she receives from the community about her identity. But she also admits that her opponents made her feel any different than who she truly is.

Harsh criticism can’t keep her down

When she embraced her true self at the age of 45, Petrillo was faced with severe criticism. Rowling, the iconic Harry Potter author even labeled her an “out and proud cheat.” However, the Italian wasn’t one to let the dig bog her down. Instead, she retorted back claiming that Rowling’s works which make her so famous remain an unknown territory to the Paralympian. “I was told she wrote Harry Potter. I haven’t even read it. Plus she writes in her books about a sport that has no gender so I expected a little more from Rowling,” she instead noted her disappointment about the author’s remarks. However, not everyone is going after her throat.

“It was the perfect life. It was beautiful. I was welcomed by everybody,” Petrillo said about her experience at the Olympic Village in Paris. But when the curtains dropped, her anxiety also returned. “Outside, we know it’s not going to be the same,” she told The Times. Her bewilderment at the treatment receives is only amplified by how the apex Olympic body has made efforts to make sports more accessible to trans athletes. “Since 2015, when the IOC opened the Olympics to transgender people,” Valentina highlights. But will that be enough to make the world of athletics more accepting of people from Petrillo’s community? Only time will tell.