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The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final has sparked controversy after an athlete identified as transgender won the gold medal.
American competitor Jammie Booker finished ahead of Great Britain’s Andrea Thompson at the event in Arlington, Texas. According to Mail Online, Thompson appeared visibly upset as she left the podium, reportedly saying, “This is bulls**,”* while Booker celebrated the victory. Thompson has since been hailed by her coach and several colleagues as the “true World’s Strongest Woman.”
Three-time World’s Strongest Woman champion Rebecca Roberts further ignited debate by claiming that neither athletes nor organisers were aware of Booker’s background prior to the competition.
Although limited information is publicly available about Booker, Mail Online referenced a YouTube video uploaded in 2017 to an account believed to belong to the athlete. In the video, the speaker describes herself as “a 21-year-old trans woman with a history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents.”
On Monday night, Roberts posted an image on Instagram reading “Protect Women’s Sports.” In her accompanying statement, she wrote:
“I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to live their truth.
But I cannot stay silent about something that threatens the fairness and future of women’s strength sports. Transgender women — people born male — should not be competing in the women’s category.
This isn’t about identity or politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear and matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason. If we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.”
Roberts also claimed that the situation lacked transparency, saying that neither athletes nor organisers were informed ahead of time.
She concluded her post by reiterating her stance:
“My message is simple: Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain for those born biologically female. I love this sport, and I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever.
Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025.”
