Fury as ‘biological male’ wins World’s Strongest Woman event in Texas… as rivals say they had no idea of athlete’s background

The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final was thrown into chaos after an allegedly transgender athlete won the gold medal, sparking outrage among athletes and coaches.

American Jammie Booker, who was accused of being biologically male, won the event by beating Andrea Thompson of Great Britain at the event held in Arlington, Texas.

However, while Booker was celebrating, Thompson walked off the podium as if to say ‘this is ridiculous’. English she has since been crowned the ‘real World’s Strongest Woman’ by her coach and some of her peers.

Three-time winner of the World’s Strongest Woman award, Rebecca Roberts, sensationally claimed that no one, not even the promoters, knew about Booker’s past.

Details about the American are unclear, but in a YouTube video – Uploaded to Booker’s YouTube channel in September 2017 – Booker says: ‘Everyone is eager to tell their own story, and frankly I’m no exception.

‘I am a 21-year-old trans woman struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of religious parents with a history of abuse.’

Booker’s victory at the event sparked angry reaction from some of his peers

On Monday night, Roberts posted a photo on Instagram that read, ‘Protect Women’s Sports.’ She wrote alongside the photo: ‘I don’t have hatred towards transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect and the freedom to live their truth.

‘But I cannot remain silent about something that threatens the justice and future of women’s power sports. Trans women born male should not compete in the women’s category.

‘This isn’t about identity. This is not about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t go away and are more important here than almost anywhere else. The women’s categories were created for a purpose and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.

‘What happened this weekend was not transparent. None of us knew. Even the organizers didn’t know. When justice is caught off guard, trust in the sport begins to crack.

‘My message is simple. Transgender people are part of the sport, but women’s divisions should be born biologically exclusively for women.

‘I love this sport. I gave my life to this. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change that forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… Real World’s Strongest Woman 2025’

Thompson was among those who liked the post. Meanwhile, his coach Laurence Shahlaei also expressed his opposition to the official results on social media.

“Huge congratulations to my client, but more importantly, my very good friend @andreathompson_strongwoman for winning the 2025 World’s Strongest Woman award,” she wrote.

‘You did your best for this and I’m so proud of you. You absolutely mastered the deadlift, the log, and the circus dumbbell, and although there were still a few weak spots to work on, you were still the strongest woman of the day.

Booker accused of ‘misrepresenting critical information to OSG officials and judges’

‘This win did not come without controversy, but I want to make it clear that while I support and applaud people for being who they want to be, sports are sports and women’s classes exist for a reason.’

One of Booker’s sponsors also accused the athlete of ‘misrepresenting critical information to OSG’ [Official Strongman Games] civil servants and judges.’

Iron Ape, which sells sports strength equipment, said it was “no longer affiliated with the brand in any way” following the controversy surrounding its “win”.

Iron Ape owner Colton Cross wrote in a statement: ‘We have reason to believe that Jamie Booker misrepresented critical information to OSG officials and judges, giving her an unfair advantage over other competitors in the Women’s Open class.

‘Effective immediately, Jammie Booker has been removed from the Iron Ape athlete roster… this is not an issue of Jammie’s gender identity. Iron Ape does not and will never discriminate against individuals based on gender, race, sexual orientation or any other personal characteristic.

‘We expect every Iron Ape athlete to maintain the highest standards of sportsmanship. When these standards are breached, decisive action must be taken.’

Meanwhile, 2023 World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper also paid tribute to Thompson with his own message on Instagram. ‘Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman for becoming champion [sic] our performance at the World’s Strongest Woman this weekend.’

Her post drew overwhelming support for the British athlete, especially from three-time winner of the World’s Strongest Woman award, Donna Moore. ‘The real winner of this weekend’s World’s Strongest Woman contest,’ he commented.

Booker posts emotional message on social media after controversial win

The athlete started a GoFundMe page to help cover expenses for the competition in Arlington, Texas

Hooper also shared a YouTube video criticizing the outcome after going to watch the contest in person in Texas.

“When I first saw Jammie, I said: ‘This woman looks different,'” Hooper recalled. ‘He was probably 3 to 4 inches taller and probably 80 lbs heavier than his closest rival.’

He added: ‘You want to be whatever you want to be, but there comes a time when you have to take a stand against women’s sports.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Booker and the Official Strongman Games for comment.

But Booker on Monday posted an emotional message After the competition, he took to social media to thank the Official Strongman Games ‘for accepting me’ and paid tribute to his fellow competitors.

“You are all insanely badass women, and it was an honor to even share the stage with you, cheer you on, and be applauded by you,” Booker said, choking back tears.

‘I really didn’t expect this result and I don’t say this to brag or be proud. When I signed up for this contest, I didn’t expect to win; It was a pipe dream.’

She continued: ‘Of course everyone goes into a competition wanting to win but I didn’t think it would be for me and the truth is I was truly lost for words.

‘I don’t know what will happen next, I don’t know where I will race next… I just want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It’s really surreal.”