Andrea Thompson has broken her silence after being officially crowned the World’s Strongest Woman 2025, following the dramatic disqualification of American competitor Jammie Booker.
The reversal came after the Official Strongman Games (OSG) confirmed that Booker — who beat Thompson to victory at the world championships in Arlington, Texas — was ineligible to compete in the Women’s Open category.
Officials have since released a statement saying that they were unaware that Booker is a “biological male” who identifies as female and that she would not have been permitted to compete in the women’s division had that information been known.
In a statement on Instagram, OSG explained: “It appears that an athlete who is biologically male and who now identifies as female competed in the Women’s Open category. Official Strongman officials were unaware of this fact ahead of the competition and we have been urgently investigating since being informed. An attempt has been made to contact the competitor involved but a response has not been received.”
The federation added: “Had we been aware, or had this been declared at any point before or during the competition, this athlete would not have been permitted to compete in the Woman’s Open category. We are clear – competitors can only compete in the category for the biological sex recorded at birth.”
Officials confirmed that Booker has been disqualified and that athlete points and placements have been updated “to ensure that the rightful places are allocated to each of the Women’s Open athletes.”
“Official Strongman is inclusive and proud to run events which do not discriminate against athletes based on personal characteristics,” the statement continued. “Any athlete is welcome. But it is our responsibility to ensure fairness and ensure athletes are assigned to men or women’s categories based on whether they are recorded as male or female at birth.”
The federation also expressed regret that the situation had taken attention away from the achievements of competitors who “fairly and legitimately took part,” closing with: “We stand with them and stand with fairness.”
OSG has now officially listed Andrea Thompson as the event’s winner on its website — but the moment has been bittersweet for the British athlete, who addressed the situation in an emotional post, starting by saying: “What a day”.
“Firstly, this has been the most exhausting experience of my career,” Thompson wrote. “What should be a momentous occasion has sadly been overshadowed by scandal and dishonesty from someone who was welcomed into our crazy sport. A sport which encourages women to celebrate themselves without being judged on how society says they should be.”
She continued: “I can honestly say that no one, including the @officialstrongmangames team had any clue what was about to transpire. No one had any reason to suspect otherwise. I am not only frustrated with not being able to celebrate a win, but also for the ladies who had their time to shine on the podium or reach the final day, taken away from them.
“My fellow competitors have since received backlash and insults for just being women. They are mentally drained by defending themselves from unwanted opinions. This needs to stop.”
Thompson went on to praise OSG for its swift response. “I am grateful to the team for reaching out to me, investigating and rectifying the situation so quickly. Honoring the title to me, which is something we just don’t see in any other sport that has faced a similar position. This means that we, as a community ARE taking a stand. Protecting women’s sport as we have fought so hard for.”
She added: “Whilst I cannot say it won’t ever happen again, I am confident that we will work something out to prevent it in the future. For now, ladies, keep showing up. Take up space. Be loud. Be proud. Show your daughters how amazing you are. Much love.”
The controversy has sparked a passionate conversation across sport and social media.
Three-time World’s Strongest Woman Rebecca Roberts said: “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. It isn’t about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear, and that matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason, and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.”
Roberts continued: “What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew. Not even the organisers knew. And when fairness is taken by surprise, trust in the sport begins to crack. My message is simple. Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only. I love this sport. I have given my life to it. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025.”
Thompson liked the post, while her coach Laurence Shahlaei added: “A huge congratulations to my client but more importantly, my very good friend @andreathompson_strongwoman for winning the World’s Strongest Woman 2025. You worked your a** off for this and I’m so proud of you. You absolutely dominated the deadlift, log and circus dumbbell and while there are still a couple of weaknesses to work on, you were still the strongest woman on the day.
“This win hasn’t come without controversy, but I want to make it very clear that while I support and applaud people for being who they want to be, sport is sport and the women’s classes exist for a reason.”
Elsewhere, public figures weighed in on the issue. Piers Morgan wrote on X: “Many congratulations to Jammie Booker, who has won the World’s Strongest Woman competition in Arlington, Texas. The fact Jammie is a biological male with a massive physical advantage over the actual women competing shouldn’t detract from this well-earned victory.”
Meanwhile, several of the sport’s biggest names — including Eddie Hall and Mitchell Hooper — posted videos condemning the original result and backing OSG’s decision to reverse it.
Adding to the fallout, strength equipment brand Iron Ape also ended its partnership with Booker. Company owner Colton Cross said: “We have reason to believe that Jammie Booker misrepresented critical information to OSG officials and judges, resulting in an unfair advantage over the other competitors in the Women’s Open class. Effective immediately, Jammie Booker has been removed from the Iron Ape athlete roster… this is not a matter of Jammie’s gender identity. Iron Ape does not, and never will, discriminate against individuals based on gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic. We expect every Iron Ape athlete to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship. When those standards are violated, decisive action must be taken.”
Booker had initially shared a video thanking her fellow competitors, saying: “You are all insanely bada** women and it was an honor just to even share the stage with you and to be there to cheer you on and be cheered on by you. I genuinely did not expect this outcome and I’m not saying that in a way to gloat or be prideful. When I signed up for this competition I did not expect to win – it was a pipe dream.”
She added: “Obviously everyone enters a competition wanting to win but I did not think this would be the one for me and the fact that it is, I’m genuinely lost for words. I don’t know what comes next, I don’t know where I’ll compete next… I just want to say thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart. It’s really surreal.”
Booker’s Instagram profile has since been made private, and she has not publicly addressed her disqualification.
For Thompson, though, the focus is shifting back to the sport itself — and to the message she shared with the women around her: “Keep showing up. Take up space. Be loud. Be proud.”
The Official Strongman Games’ stance remains clear: “We stand with them and stand with fairness.”
Featured image credit: Instagram
