There’s no ‘i’ in Team NZ, unless you’re a coach
One of the most talked about athletes in New Zealand, transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard spoke out for the first time yesterday. Marvin France reports.
Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard does not consider herself as a role model, she just wants people to keep an open mind. Hubbard broke her silence yesterday after returning from the World Championships in California, where the 39-year-old became the first Kiwi – male or female – to win a medal at the event with her two-silver haul.
Hubbard lived as a man for 35 years and her participation in women’s weightlifting has polarised opinion, while drawing criticism from several of her rivals.
Some of the backlash has been hard to ignore but Hubbard has refused to let it derail her goal of competing on the global stage.
‘‘All you can do is focus on the task at hand and if you keep doing that it will get you through,’’ she told Stuff.
‘‘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.’’
Hubbard, who previously competed in elite weightlifting competitions as Gavin Hubbard, pointed out that the decision by the International Olympic Committee to allow transgender athletes to compete in international events was made in 2003.
Those guidelines are followed by the International Weightlifting Federation.
‘‘And those are the rules under which I’m competing, so this isn’t a new thing,’’ Hubbard said.
‘‘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.’’
Hubbard declined to talk to media at the world championships, continuing a stance since she first competed at international level last March, as American coach Tim Swords hit out at her involvement. After his lifter Sarah Robles beat Hubbard to the gold in both the snatch and overall of the women’s +90kg category, Swords said he was congratulated by multiple coaches, claiming ‘‘nobody wanted her to win’’.
While not responding directly to Swords’ comments, Hubbard said she was warmly received by Robles, who she has a ‘‘huge amount of respect for’’.
‘‘She’s not just an incredibly talented athlete but just a genuine and encouraging person as well. The day before the competition she gave me a hug, wished me luck and I believe she really meant it too.’’
For all the criticism, Hubbard has been overwhelmed by the amount of support she has received from across the country.
Hubbard is working towards the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next April, where she will become the first transgender athlete to represent New Zealand at the event.
Asked if she considered herself a role model, Hubbard said: ‘‘All I can do is be myself, do what I do and if people find inspiration then that’s great but it’s not what I’m setting out to do. So I don’t see myself as a role model but if people find some benefit in what I’ve done then that’s great.’’
Despite the discrimination thrown her way, Hubbard does not feel she faces more challenges than any other athlete.
‘‘There are moments of high mood, there are moments of low mood, there are moments of injury, there are moments of strength, there are moments of progress, there are moments of stagnation.
‘‘All we can do is keep on pushing.’’
Hubbard’s success in the US comes after she won both the Australia Weightlifting Open and Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships this year.
But there is little time to reflect on her achievements as she gets straight back into training at her home base in Queenstown.
Hubbard did not rule out a crack at the Olympics in 2020 but for now her full focus is on the Commonwealth Games.
‘‘As a weightlifter all you can do is concentrate on the task at hand. If you get an opportunity to celebrate some time in the future, you’ve got to leave it till then,’’ she said.
‘‘I’ve been getting fantastic support from Weightlifting New Zealand and their high performance manager Simon Kent and I think I have all the tools to work towards a great performance on the Gold Coast.’’ Beauden Barrett, Lisa Carrington and Tom Walsh lead the 71 nominations the Halberg Foundation has received for the 55th Halberg Awards.
But Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup winning helmsman Peter Burling’s name is notably missing. Team NZ chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge last week admitted Burling wouldn’t be nominated because their feat in Bermuda couldn’t be ‘‘pinned down to one person’’.
Team NZ have been nominated for Team of the Year by Yachting New Zealand, but turned down repeated approaches to nominate Burling as an individual.
Burling has already picked up individual goings for his Team New Zealand work, winning the world sailor of the year and foiling sailor of the year awards.
Ironically Team NZ have had Murray Jones and Ray Davies nominated for the coach of the year award.
The veterans were responsible for helping Burling and the young crew get up to speed with matchracing tactics and the demands of the America’s Cup.
A Team NZ spokesman said that in their view, coaching is a very specific category, so they were happy with the nomination of their team of Jones and Davies.
‘‘But the sailing team is a full team - not an individual. And in our specific circumstance, certainly no person was more important or valuable than the next. So we were happy with just a team nomination to encompass everyone.’’
There are 27 different sports represented in the nominations.
The All Blacks, who won 13 of their 16 tests this year, don’t feature in the category. But 17 teams from 11 sports do, including the five-time World Cup winning Black Ferns, Black Sox, All Whites, men’s team pursuit cyclists and TNZ.
The All Whites are the odd team out in the aforementioned group of world champions. The New Zealand football team failed to qualify for next year’s World Cup after losing a home and away playoff to Peru last month.
Sixteen athletes from 12 sports have been put forward for the Sportsman of the Year award. The hotly contested category includes shot put world champion Tom Walsh, Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson, All Blacks pivot Barrett, motorsport wiz Brendon Hartley and Michael Venus (tennis).
Lisa Carrington is joined in the Sportswoman of the Year category by seven others including Ali Riley, Amy Satterthwaite, Portia Woodman, Roisin Giles and Sarah Goss.
Seven nominations have come in for the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award, including fourtimes
winner Sophie Pascoe. Corey Peters, Holly Robinson, Jessica Hamill, Keegan Pitcher, Stephen Hills and William Stedman round out the list.
Nominees for the Disabled Sportsperson, Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team of the Year categories will all be eligible for the supreme Halberg Award – the country’s highest accolade for sporting excellence.
A shortlist of finalists will be announced in January. The 55th Halberg Awards ceremony will be held in Auckland on February 8.