A transgender athlete, who previously won 11 men’s national titles, has qualified for the semi-finals of the women’s T12 400m event at the Paralympics.

Visually impaired Italian Valentina Petrillo finished second in her heat in Paris but progressed as the sixth-fastest runner in a time of 58.35 seconds.

Without a guide, she fell a bit behind her two competitors but picked up the pace near the end to secure her spot in the next stage of the competition.

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The 50-year-old will run in the semi-finals at the Stade de France on Monday evening, with the medal race scheduled for Tuesday.

Naples-born Petrillo, who transitioned in 2019, is believed to be one of the first openly transgender Paralympians.

She was diagnosed with Stargardt disease when she was 14, a retinal disease that causes a progressive loss of vision. Ms Petrillo initially gave up running but has been competing in Para sport since she was 41.

Ms Petrillo collected bronze medals in the 200m and 400m world championship races in 2023 with times of 26.31 and 58.24 seconds respectively.

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She said: “From today I don’t want to hear anything more about discrimination, prejudices against transgender people.

“There are lots of people dying only for being trans, people are killed because they are trans, people commit suicide because they are trans and lose their jobs, or (they are) are not included in sport. But I made it. If I can make it, everyone can make it.”

She previously expressed hope of receiving “love” in France, while saying it was “only fair” she was allowed to compete.

“The atmosphere in the stadium is great, it’s just a dream come true,” Petrillo added.

“We are here finally, it’s 2 September 2024, let’s sign this historical date (in our diary).

“I thought about Paris from the day I knew I was not making it to Tokyo (Paralympics), on 1 August 2021 – the most amazing day for Italian athletics, when Jacobs (Lamont Marcell, 100 metres) and Tamberi (Gianmarco, long jump) won gold.

“And I am here now. Finally, I made it.”

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Currently, there is no unified position towards transgender inclusion, with the International Paralympic Committee allowing international sports governing bodies to set their own policies.

Under World Para Athletics’ rules, an athlete who is legally recognised as a woman is eligible to compete in the category for which their impairment qualifies them.

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Dutch transgender athlete Ingrid van Kranen, who died in 2021, finished ninth in the women’s discus final at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Ms Petrilllo’s debut comes weeks after Olympic boxing gold medallist Imane Khelif of Algeria faced intense scrutiny following false claims about her sex.

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