The strongman and strongwoman community has been rocked by one of the most controversial moments in recent memory, after American competitor Jammie Booker was stripped of her World’s Strongest Woman 2025 title following revelations about her eligibility to compete.
Booker’s initial victory at the Official Strongman Games (OSG) in Arlington, Texas, had appeared to mark a breakthrough for the athlete — but within days, the win was mired in accusations, confusion, and an investigation that would ultimately overturn the result.
What Happened?
Over the weekend, Booker outlifted and outlasted Britain’s Andrea Thompson, a four-time Britain’s Strongest Woman, to claim what was originally declared her first world title. The event drew widespread attention online, but that quickly shifted to outrage when reports emerged suggesting that Booker — who identifies as female — is a biological male.
According to OSG, officials had no prior knowledge of Booker’s background and only learned of the situation after the competition concluded. The federation said it immediately launched an internal review to “urgently investigate” the matter.
The Title Revoked
Within days, the organisers released a formal statement announcing Booker’s disqualification and the reallocation of standings. The ruling effectively voided her victory, naming Andrea Thompson as the rightful World’s Strongest Woman 2025.
In a detailed post shared to social media, 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.”
They continued: “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.”
OSG added: “Official Strongman is inclusive and proud to run events which do not discriminate against athletes based on personal characteristics. 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.”
Finally, the organisation confirmed: “We have disqualified the athlete in question from the Official Strongman World Championships 2025. All athlete points and places will be altered accordingly to ensure that the rightful places are allocated to each of the Women’s Open athletes. The Official Strongman World Championships is an event which is rightly one of the pinnacles of the strength world. We are disappointed on behalf of all those who fairly and legitimately took part that the attention has been taken away from their efforts which deserve celebration, no matter how they performed or where they finished. We stand with them and stand with fairness.”
Booker had initially shared a video celebrating her victory, but has since set her Instagram profile to private.
Andrea Thompson’s Crowned The Winner, Issues Statement
Shortly after being confirmed as the official champion, Andrea Thompson released her own heartfelt message on social media titled “What a day”.
“Firstly, this has been the most exhausting experience of my career,” she 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.”
Thompson 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.”
She went on: “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 thanked organisers for their swift handling of the issue. “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 concluded her post with a message to her peers: “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.”
How The Strongman Community Reacted
From the initial response to the subsequent reversal, there have been countless responses from figures within the strongman community – such as Eddie Hall, Mitchell Hooper, Rebecca Roberts and more. From Instagram posts to YouTube videos, many of these can be seen below:
Despite the many comments flooding social media, Mitchell Hooper perhaps put it best when he asked his fans to congratulate Andrea on her win, before saying:
“There is no need to go after Jamie. There’s no need. What’s done is done. Everyone has their own struggles, their own difficulties, their own path. So let’s not make this about one person — let’s make this about how we correct this moving forward. Do not take this out on one person; who knows what their internal dialogue is or what they’re going through. I don’t believe that Jamie thought they were doing anything wrong. I genuinely believe they didn’t think they were doing anything wrong.”
Inez Carrasquillo – who is currently ranked the number one strongwoman in the world – also shared an emotional statement on Instagram, that read: “My name is Inez Carrasquillo and I am a professional strongwoman, a mother, and I am also bi sexual. Not that my personal life is anyone’s business, but in light of recent events I feel the responsibility to be an ambassador for the sport I love so dearly.
“I am an LGBTQ advocate, ally, and supporter. I believe that what anyone wants to do with their life is their business as long as they are not harming others. That is where this gets complicated, because I believe harm was done this weekend.
“Due to a lack of ethical transparency on the part of Jammie Booker over the span of the past few months, several incredibly talented female athletes were harmed by having opportunities, prize money, and pro cards taken away from them by someone who misrepresented themselves to our community.
“As the #1 ranked female athlete in the sport I feel the need to advocate for my sisters who were harmed. These amazing women all deserve to retroactively be made whole by any means necessary. Give out the pro cards, change the record books, reallocate prize money, whatever it takes. These women were already robbed of their opportunity to stand on the podium the day they rightfully earned it. To Jammie, all I have to say is this. We would have accepted exactly who you are. We would have taken you in as one of our own into the sisterhood. This community is like none other, we are all misfits and f**k ups, but we all take care of each other and accept each other exactly as we are.
“We come in all shapes and sizes from myself to Mel Peacock to Angelica Jardine to Rebecca Roberts. Each of us unique and valued in our own special way. You would have been accepted. You would have been invited. You would have been loved. It makes me sad that you felt the need to deceive us, especially when we have trans divisions that you could have been a part of. I hope you find your peace and comfort in your future endeavors. I hope that this unfortunate event does not leave too big a scar on this sport that we all love so dearly.
“I can’t wait to see all of you girls again soon and share a stage and entertain our fans as only we can. This is still the greatest community and the greatest sport there is. Hope everyone has a very happy holiday season and I will be seeing you all soon.”
The Bigger Picture
The fallout from Booker’s disqualification has reignited a wider conversation about transgender participation in strength sports and the balance between inclusion and fairness at elite levels.
For many within the strongman world, the controversy marks a watershed moment — one that will likely shape policies and debates for years to come.
As OSG put it in their closing words: “We stand with fairness.”
And as Thompson reminded her fellow athletes, the mission of strongwoman sport continues — to “keep showing up, take up space, be loud, be proud.”
Featured image credit: YouTube/Instagram
