The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final in Arlington, Texas, was supposed to celebrate power and perseverance. Instead, it exploded into one of the most divisive moments in strength sports history — after American competitor Jammie Booker, accused by rivals of being a biological male, took home the gold.
British powerhouse Andrea Thompson, a fan favorite and multiple record-holder, stormed off the podium in protest. Cameras captured her mouthing, “This is bulls**,”* as Booker celebrated, leaving fans and fellow athletes stunned. Within hours, the internet was ablaze with calls to “protect women’s sports,” while Booker’s background and eligibility came under scrutiny.
Three-time World’s Strongest Woman winner Rebecca Roberts claimed even the event organizers were unaware of Booker’s past.
“What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew — not even the organizers,” Roberts said in an emotional Instagram post Monday night.
She added, “I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and freedom to live their truth. But transgender women — people born male — should not be competing in the women’s category. This isn’t about politics. It’s about fairness.”
Roberts’ post, which featured the phrase “Protect Women’s Sports,” has since gone viral, racking up thousands of shares. “Women’s categories were created for a reason,” she continued. “If we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.”
Online sleuths quickly unearthed a 2017 YouTube video appearing to feature Booker introducing herself as “a 21-year-old trans woman… struggling to stay true to herself under religious parents.”
That revelation, coupled with Booker’s dominant performance, only fueled speculation. Competitors noted that Booker appeared “significantly larger” than the rest of the field — standing several inches taller and weighing roughly 80 pounds more than her nearest rival.
Booker’s sponsor, Iron Ape Strength Equipment, announced it had cut ties “effective immediately.” The company alleged Booker “misrepresented critical information to Official Strongman Games officials and judges,” giving her “an unfair advantage.”
“This is not a matter of gender identity,” Iron Ape owner Colton Cross said in a statement. “We don’t discriminate. But we expect honesty and fairness. When those standards are violated, decisive action must be taken.”
Thompson’s coach, former Strongman champion Laurence Shahlaei, declared his client the “true World’s Strongest Woman.”
“You absolutely dominated the deadlift, log, and circus dumbbell,” he wrote on Instagram. “You were the strongest woman on the day. This win hasn’t come without controversy, but sport is sport — and women’s classes exist for a reason.”
Other elite athletes echoed his words. Mitchell Hooper, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, who attended the Texas event, posted: “The first time I saw Jammie, I said, ‘This woman looks different.’ She was probably three to four inches taller and 80 pounds heavier than her closest competitor. There’s a time when you have to take a stand for women’s sports.”
Former champion Donna Moore simply commented: “True winner of World’s Strongest WOMAN this weekend.”
Amid the backlash, Booker broke her silence with a tearful social media post, thanking organizers and fellow athletes.
“You are all insanely badass women,” she said. “It was an honor to share the stage with you. I genuinely did not expect this outcome. When I signed up, it was just a dream — I didn’t think this would be the one for me.”
Booker also launched a GoFundMe campaign earlier this year to help cover travel and training costs for the Arlington competition.
As of Tuesday, neither Booker nor the Official Strongman Games have publicly commented on the controversy. But calls for stricter gender eligibility rules in women’s divisions are growing louder — with fans comparing the moment to the ongoing debate in professional swimming, cycling, and powerlifting.
“It’s not hate. It’s about fairness,” Roberts reiterated. “If we can’t trust what’s happening on that stage, then what’s left for women’s sports?”
The storm shows no sign of fading — and for the world of strength athletics, the 2025 World’s Strongest Woman may be remembered less for powerlifting records than for a seismic reckoning over who gets to compete at all.
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Males of any kind do not belong in women’s sports. It doesn’t matter if they’f had transition surgery, think they are female. Identify as female etc. The facts are medically, physically, and intellectually obvious to all sane and intelligent people. Males are born with more testosterone, a different muscle and bone structure, and naturally have more dense cc and trainable muscle. If it was born with a penis it’s a guy. If it was born with a vagina it’s a girl. No other information is relevant. Stop playing psychsematic semantics. They are irrelevant whether the confused people can accept the truth and themselves for what the truly are or not.
Even the premise is ignorant, how was this poor deranged person allowed to compete?