The title of the World’s Strongest Woman contest has been revoked from the winner due to allegations that she was assigned male at birth.
In recent years, the discussion surrounding transgender athletes in sports has intensified, creating a divide in public opinion and sparking significant backlash.
The World’s Strongest Woman contest faced intense criticism after the winner, Jammie Booker from the US, was accused of being a biological male.
The competition, held in Arlington, Texas, saw Andrea Thompson from the UK, who won in 2018, express her frustration after finishing in second place.
Thompson lost the contest by a mere point in the open women’s category, which has no weight restrictions.
After the event concluded on November 23, Thompson left the stage stating that the outcome was “bull****”. Meanwhile, Booker celebrated her victory.
A discussion has emerged since then regarding Booker’s gender after a YouTube video from 2017 surfaced, seemingly confirming that the competitor was born a biological male.
The video, reportedly uploaded to Booker’s own YouTube channel, featured the strongwoman stating: “Everyone is eager to share their own story, and I am certainly no exception to that.
“I’m a 21-year-old trans woman with a background of abuse, striving to remain true to myself while living under the authority of my religious parents.”
Following that revelation, there were widespread demands for Booker to be stripped of her new title. According to the Strongman Archives, Booker had not participated in a women’s event before June 2025, when she appeared at the Rainier Classic-Pro-Am.
Official Strongman later announced on social media that they were unaware of the allegations prior to the event, stating it “seems that an athlete who is biologically male and now identifies as female competed in the Women’s Open category.”
The organization further stated that Booker would not have been permitted to compete in the event had they been aware of the situation, revealing that she has since been disqualified.
The statement went on: “Any athlete is welcome. However, it is our duty to ensure fairness and to assign athletes to men’s or women’s categories based on their recorded gender at birth.
“Given this, we have disqualified the athlete in question from the Official Strongman World Championships 2025.
“All athlete points and placements will be adjusted accordingly to guarantee that each of the Women’s Open athletes receives their rightful positions.”
A consequence of the ruling is that Thompson is now recognized as the winner of the event.
“What should have been a significant moment has unfortunately been marred by scandal and dishonesty from someone who was embraced by our wild sport,” Thompson expressed in a social media statement.
“A sport that encourages women to celebrate themselves without being judged by societal standards.
“I can genuinely say that no one, including the @officialstrongmangames team, had any idea of what was about to happen. There was no reason for anyone to suspect anything different.
“I am not only disappointed about missing the chance to celebrate a victory, but also for the women who had their opportunity to shine on the podium or make it to the final day taken away from them.”
