The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman competition in Arlington, Texas, has been engulfed in controversy after the initial winner, Jammie Booker, was stripped of the title following allegations that the athlete is transgender. The official ruling by the governing body now hands the coveted victory to 2018 champion Andrea Thompson.
Thompson, who initially placed second by a single point in the open women’s category, reported stepped down from the podium shortly after Booker was crowned the winner over the weekend. A video of the moment shows Thompson visibly shocked, appearing to say, “This is bulls—.”
The controversy was sparked by the emergence of a 2017 YouTube video, allegedly from Booker’s own channel, where the athlete claimed to be “trans.” Records from Strongman Archives also indicate that Booker had not competed in women’s events prior to June of this year, although it remains unclear if the athlete previously competed in the men’s division. Booker’s current TikTok biography states the 28-year-old is the “Worlds Strongest Lesbian,” and a January Instagram post reads, “no im not a man.”
After an intense 48-hour backlash, Official Strongman announced on Tuesday that Booker had been disqualified. The organization admitted it was previously “unaware” of the allegations regarding Booker’s biological sex.
“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,” Official Strongman’s statement read. “We are clear – competitors can only compete in the category for the biological sex recorded at birth.”
The statement stresses the organization’s commitment to fairness: “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.” Official Strongman also noted that attempts to contact Booker for comment have been unsuccessful. On Monday, Booker had posted a video to Instagram thanking numerous individuals for their help in what was then a victory.
Thompson’s coach, Laurence Shahlaei, confirmed the change prior to the official announcement, congratulating her on the “win” in a social media post on Monday. Shahlaei took a firm stance on the issue, writing: “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.”
Booker, a Planet Fitness trainer, had created a GoFundMe on September 14th to secure the $1,535 needed for travel and registration fees, citing a “good chance of reaching the podium.” Booker had competed in three events this year, winning the first in June and placing second in North America’s Strongest Woman.
Jammie Booker, a man pretending to be a woman, just won the title of “World’s Strongest Woman” at the World’s Strongest Woman competition in Arlington, Texas.
Andrea Thompson, the female runner-up, had her title stolen by a man.
KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS pic.twitter.com/MYXCmOSEEc
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 25, 2025