Rumors After the Competition Were True... 'World's Strongest Woman' Winner Revealed to Be Transgender

Revealed as a Biological Male After Victory
Disqualification Leads to Rank Adjustment... Second and Third Place Elevated

Amid ongoing controversy in the sports world over the ambiguous standards for transgender athletes' participation, a transgender participant who won the "World's Strongest Woman" competition held in Texas, USA, was stripped of the first-place title. On November 25 (local time), international media outlets such as the New York Post and BBC reported that Jamie Booker, an American who won the World's Strongest Woman competition, was disqualified immediately after the event for violating regulations due to being a "biological male."

Jamie Booker, an American who won the World's Strongest Woman competition, holding the championship trophy. World's Strongest Woman SNS

The event organizers stated in an official announcement, "An athlete who is biologically male but currently identifies as female participated in the women's division." They explained that they were not aware Booker was a transgender woman until before the competition. The organizers added, "If we had known about her gender identity in advance, participation in the women's division would not have been possible."

With Booker's disqualification, Andrea Thompson, who finished second, claimed the title of "World's Strongest Woman" for the second time since 2018. Thompson, a mother of two from Suffolk, said, "There was nothing unusual during the competition, and no one had any reason to suspect anything." She added, "About six hours after the event ended, rumors started circulating, and only then did I receive official notification from the organizers that I was awarded first place due to a violation." Alira-Joy Collie of Australia, who originally placed third, moved up to second place. She commented, "The trophy says third place, but today, I will consider it a silver medal."

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time winner of the World's Strongest Woman competition, emphasized the need to "protect women's sports." Roberts stated, "I do not harbor hatred toward transgender people, but transgender women who were born male cannot compete in the women's division." She continued, "This is not an issue of identity or politics; it is about the undeniable physical differences in strength-based sports."

Transgender Jamie Booker, who won the world’s strongest woman competition held in Texas, USA, sparking controversy. Jamie Booker Instagram

As the controversy grew, Booker posted on social media after the competition, saying, "You are all amazing women who competed," and, "I do not know where I will compete next, but I am grateful to everyone." In a past YouTube video believed to be from her account, Booker had stated, "I am a transgender woman."

This incident has reignited the ongoing debate in the sports world over the standards for transgender athletes' participation. In particular, there is expected to be continued international discussion on how to define physical differences based on birth sex in power, strength, and combat sports, and how these differences impact fairness.