Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | 9 February 1978 46) [1] Auckland, New Zealand [2] | (age|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years active | 1998–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Weightlifting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Laurel Hubbard (born 9 February 1978) is a New Zealand weightlifter. [3] Selected to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics, she was the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympic Games. [4] [5] Prior to making her Olympic debut, Hubbard achieved a ranking of 7th in the IWF's women's +87 kg division. [6] [5]
While competing in male competitive categories before coming out as transgender, Hubbard set New Zealand junior records in 1998 in the newly established M105+ division in both lifts (snatch 135 kg, clean & jerk 170 kg) as well as total (300 kg). [7] Those records were later surpassed by David Liti. [8] Hubbard has spoken against what she calls "one of the misconceptions that's out there" that she had been training all her life before she transitioned, stating that she ceased lifting in 2001, explaining, "it just became too much to bear ... just the pressure of trying to fit into a world that perhaps wasn't really set up for people like myself". [6]
In 2012, Hubbard transitioned to female. [9] [10] She began hormone therapy that year. [6] Hubbard competed in international weightlifting for the first time in 2017. [11]
At the 2017 Australian International & Australian Open in Melbourne, she competed at the heaviest 90 kg+ category, winning the gold medal with a 123 kg snatch and 145 kg clean & jerk, for a total of 268 kg at a bodyweight of 131.83 kg. [12] [13] She thus became the first trans woman to win an international weightlifting title for New Zealand. [14] [15] Although Hubbard met eligibility requirements to compete, her win was met with criticism, with some other competitors saying the competition was unfair. [16] [15] [17] Athletes that were critical of the decision to allow Hubbard to compete include Iuniarra Sipaia, [17] Toafitu Perive, [17] Deborah Acason [15] and Tracey Lambrechs. [15] Australian Weightlifting Federation's chief executive, Michael Keelan, said it was unfair to other competitors. [13]
Hubbard qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, [18] but an elbow injury during the competition forced her withdrawal from the event [19] while leading the field. [20] After the injury, Hubbard announced her probable retirement from weightlifting. [6]
Hubbard later returned to the sport, winning two gold medals at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa. [21] The decision to allow Hubbard to compete was subsequently criticised by the Samoa 2019 chairman, Loau Solamalemalo Keneti Sio, and Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi. [22] [23]
In 2020 qualification event, she won the gold medal in the women's +87 kg event at the Roma 2020 World Cup in Rome, Italy. [24]
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) let the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) set the requirements for transgender weightlifters to compete at the Olympics. [25] Hubbard met all the requirements and on 21 June 2021, the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) confirmed that Hubbard had been selected for the New Zealand Olympic team [4] to compete in the women's +87 kilogram category, becoming the oldest weightlifter to qualify for the games. [26] [27] This decision resulted in Hubbard becoming the first openly transgender athlete to be selected to compete in weightlifting at the Olympic Games. [28] [29] Transgender athletes have been allowed to compete at the Olympics since 2004, with the current criteria in place since 2015. [29]
The inclusion of Hubbard was welcomed by supporters within the trans community as a step towards more inclusion at the Games. [30] [31] [28] It was criticised by others. Some athletes, scientists and campaigners said that she had a biological advantage due to having gone through male puberty. [25] [32] [10] Weightlifters including Anna Van Bellinghen and Tracey Lambrechs were critical of Hubbard's selection, [33] [34] [35] [36] [28] [4] [37] Charisma Amoe-Tarrant, who qualified in the same category, supported Hubbard's participation. [38] There were public expressions of support from New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and sport minister Grant Robertson. [28] [4] The IOC's Medical and Scientific Director Richard Budgett, has advocated for more research into trans participation in sports. [29]
At 43 she was the fourth oldest weightlifter to compete at the Olympics and was seen as a medal contender. [4] In front of a large contingent of media Hubbard struggled, with three failed snatch lifts, placing last in her group. [39] [40] [41] Afterwards she thanked the IOC, IWF, NZOC and all her supporters in New Zealand for their encouragement and help throughout the competition. [42] [43] Later Hubbard hinted at retirement, saying that age had caught up with her. [44]
Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
2021 | Tokyo, Japan | +87 kg | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | DNF | |||
World Championships | ||||||||||||
2019 | Pattaya, Thailand [45] | +87 kg | 120 | 125 | 131 | 4 | 145 | 154 | 8 | 285 | 6 | |
2017 | Anaheim, United States [46] | +90 kg | 120 | 124 | 144 | 147 | 151 | 4 | 275 | |||
Commonwealth Games | ||||||||||||
2018 | Gold Coast, Australia [47] | +90 kg | 120 | 1 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | DNF | ||
Oceania Championships | ||||||||||||
2019 | Apia, Samoa [48] | +87 kg | 112 | 118 | 125 | 1 | 133 | 143 | 1 | 268 | ||
2017 | Gold Coast, Australia [46] | +90 kg | 120 | 127 | 1 | 140 | 146 | 1 | 273 | |||
Commonwealth Championships | ||||||||||||
2019 | Apia, Samoa [48] | +87 kg | 112 | 118 | 125 | 1 | 133 | 143 | 1 | 268 | ||
2017 | Gold Coast, Australia [46] | +90 kg | 120 | 127 | 1 | 140 | 146 | 1 | 273 | |||
Pacific Games | ||||||||||||
2019 | Apia, Samoa [48] | +87 kg | 112 | 118 | 125 | 133 | 143 | 268 | ||||
Arafura Games | ||||||||||||
2019 | Darwin, Australia [49] | +87 kg | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | DNF | |||
World Masters Games | ||||||||||||
2017 | Auckland, New Zealand [50] | +90 kg | 120 | 127 | 131 | 1 | 135 | 143 | 149 | 1 | 280 |
Hubbard's father is Dick Hubbard, a former Mayor of Auckland City [16] and the founder of Hubbard Foods. [51] [52]
In 2017, Hubbard told an interviewer that she began participating in weight lifting when she was living as male because she hoped it would enable her to become masculine. [6]
Hubbard rarely gives interviews to the media. [53] Commenting on criticism she receives for participating in women's weightlifting as a transgender athlete, Hubbard said in 2017,
"All you can do is focus on the task at hand and if you keep doing that it will get you through. I'm mindful I won't be supported by everyone but I hope that people can keep an open mind and perhaps look at my performance in a broader context. Perhaps the fact that it has taken so long for someone like myself to come through indicates that some of the problems that people are suggesting aren't what they might seem." [53]
Loa Dika Toua is a Papua New Guinean Olympian weightlifter. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Women's −49 kg.
Nauru competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that were celebrated in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Nauru was represented by the Nauru Olympic Committee, and was the only nation out of 204 participating nations and territories that sent only a single athlete, and was one of 117 that won no medals at the Games. The sole athlete to represent the nation was Itte Detenamo, who participated in the weightlifting, and was the flag bearer in both the opening and closing ceremonies. This was the same number of athletes as at the 1996 Olympics, when Marcus Stephen represented the country in the same sport, but was a decrease from the nation's last appearance at the Games when three athletes were sent to Athens. Nauru earned a berth for the weightlifting event in the Oceania and South Pacific Olympic Weightlifting Championships in 2008 and a chance to send participants in swimming and athletics events, but chose to send only a weightlifter. Itte Detenamo competed in the Group B of heavyweight class, fifteenth and last event of the weightlifting. He did not earn a medal, but finished with a personal best.
Ele Opeloge is a Samoan weightlifter. She was the first Samoan to win an Olympic medal, winning silver in the women's +75 kg category at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The weightlifting competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place from 24 July to 4 August 2021 at the Tokyo International Forum.
Tracey Lambrechs is a former New Zealand weightlifter who competed in the +75 kg division. She won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a silver at the 2015 Pacific Games. She placed 13th at the 2016 Olympics.
Martha Ann "Mattie" Rogers is an American Olympic weightlifter. She is a four-time silver medalist at the World Weightlifting Championships. She holds the United States record in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total in the 76 kg category. She competed for the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 87 kg category.
Fares Ibrahim Saed Hassouna El-Bakh, commonly known as Meso Hassouna, is a Qatari weightlifter of egyptian origin. He is an Olympic Champion, World Champion and two time Junior World Champion competing in the 85 kg, and 94 kg categories until 2018 and 96 kg and 102 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Iuniarra Sipaia is a Samoan female weightlifter. She has represented Samoa in several international competitions such as Pacific Mini Games, Commonwealth Games, Oceania Weightlifting Championships and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
Maude G. Charron is a Canadian weightlifter, who competes in the 63/64 kg category and represents Canada at international competitions. She is an Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the women's 64 kg division. Charron also owns the clean & jerk Commonwealth Games record, the snatch and total Canadian weightlifting records, all the Panamerican records in her weight class.
Tali Darsigny is a Canadian weightlifter.
Eileen Floanna Maria Cikamatana is an Australian weightlifter who previously represented Fiji. She competed in the women's 90 kg event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning the gold medal. Cikamatana was named 2017 Fiji's sportswoman of the year, but was controversially omitted from consideration for the 2018 Fiji sports awards following her gold medal winning performance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She also won the gold medal in the women's 87 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England, which made her the first woman to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games for two different countries.
Talha Talib is a Pakistani weightlifter from Gujranwala. He is the Pakistani national champion in the 62 kg category. He set a new record at the games in snatch as he lifted 132 kg in the third attempt with 127 kg and 130 kg in the first two attempts, respectively. He was also a gold medalist at the 2016 Commonwealth Youth Weightlifting Championships in Penang. He lifted 258 kg to clinch the gold. He is currently the top No. 1 ranked weightlifter of Pakistan.
Katherine Vibert is an American weightlifter, Olympian, World Champion, Pan American champion and Junior World Champion competing in the 69 kg category until 2018 and 71 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. She is a winner of the IWF Female Lifter of the Year for 2019.
Akbar Djuraev is an Uzbekistani weightlifter, Olympic Champion and Junior World Champion. He won the gold medal in the men's 109 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He also won the gold medal in the men's 109 kg event at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Kanah Shenelle Andrews-Nahu is a New Zealand weightlifter. She won the bronze medal in the girls' +63 kg event at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the time, she finished in 4th place but Supatchanin Khamhaeng of Thailand was stripped of her gold medal after testing positive for a banned substance.
The Women's +87 kg weightlifting competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo took place on 2 August 2021 at the Tokyo International Forum. During the competition, Laurel Hubbard made history by becoming the first transgender woman athlete to compete in the Olympics.
Rahmat Erwin Abdullah is an Indonesian weightlifter. He is a two-time gold medalist in the men's 73 kg event at the World Weightlifting Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is a weightlifter competing in the 73 kg class since 2018 World Weightlifting Championships in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. He made his international debut at the 2017 Youth World Weightlifting Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand in the 69 kg class.
Ruben Katoatau is an I-Kiribati weightlifter.
Kuinini Juanita Mechteld Manumua is a Tongan-American weightlifter. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the Women's +87 kg category, the first athlete representing Tonga to do so. She placed in eighth.