Weightlifter to be first trans athlete at the Olympics
A WEIGHTLIFTER who previously competed as a man is set to become the first transgender athlete to take part in the Olympics.
New Zealander Laurel Hubbard, 43, who transitioned to female in 2013, is ‘very likely’ to earn a place for July’s Tokyo Games, her country’s Olympic committee said.
She is hoping to compete in the 87kg-plus category, in which she is ranked 16th in the world.
But the move has sparked controversy, with claims that selecting Miss Hubbard – a decision due in June – would be unfair to other women. Fellow New Zealand weightlifter Tracey Lambrechs, who won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, said: ‘I’m quite disappointed for the female athlete who will lose out on that spot.
‘We’re all about equality for women in sport but right now that equality is being taken away.’
She added that women who had expressed misgivings had been ‘told to be quiet’.
Miss Hubbard has dismissed previous rows about her gender, saying she ‘blocked out’ criticism and that ‘I just want to be me’.
She won gold at the 2017 Australian International and Australian Open with a total lift of 590lb 13oz. Her bodyweight was 290lb 10oz.