Hubbard selected in transgender Games first for NZ

Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has become the first transgender athlete named in a New Zealand Commonwealth Games team.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee and Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand yesterday confirmed the 39-year-old woman was one of 12 athletes in New Zealand’s team for April’s games on the Gold Coast. Hubbard will compete in the women’s +90kg category, introduced by the International Weightlifting Federation at the start of the year.

The International Olympic Committee acknowledges athletes only as male or female. There is no transgender category.

Hubbard, the daughter of former Auckland mayor Dick Hubbard, is understood to have become the first transgender athlete

to represent New Zealand in any sport in March, when she competed in an international

weightlifting event in Melbourne.

She comfortably won the 90kg+ section, causing some rivals to say it was unfair to compete against an opponent who had previously competed in national men’s competitions as Gavin Hubbard.

At the time of her selection in March, OWNZ president Garry Marshall told NZME he believed Hubbard had ‘‘huge advantages’’ over her rivals.

‘‘She competed for a long time as a man and her efforts were very strong.

‘‘That strength has remained with her despite reduced testosterone. That point is not recognised by the science and some of our competitors would say that’s not fair,’’ Marshall said.

Hubbard won both the Australia Weightlifting Open and Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships this year.

Among others, joining Hubbard in the team are 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Richard Patterson (-85kg), silver medallist Stanislav Chalaev (-105kg) and bronze medal winner Tracey Lambrechs (-90kg).

It will mark Patterson’s fourth Commonwealth Games. No Kiwi weightlifter has previously reached the feat.

Dunedin’s Andrea Miller (69kg), who won bronze in the 100m hurdles at the 2010 Delhi games, has successfully switched sports and will compete in the -69kg section.