After being selected by New Zealand for the women’s event at the Tokyo Olympics, weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics, reigniting the debate over inclusion and justice in sport. The decision sparked debate among third gender activists and some are not happy with it. A competitor of Laurel, who said that permitting a transgender woman to compete in the women’s event was unjust. Besides that, let’s talk about Laurel Hubbard wiki, parents, Ethnicity, and Career.
Hubbard Parents, Age
Laurel Hubbard, 43, won the women’s over 90kg division at the Australian International tournament in Melbourne on Sunday. But her victory has sparked controversy, with some claiming she had an unfair advantage.
Laurel was born on 9 February 1978 in Auckland, New Zealand to her parents. Her father Dick Hubbard, a former Mayor of Auckland City and the founder of Hubbard Foods.
She lifted a total of 268kg was approximately 20kg more than second-place finisher Iuniarra Sipaia of Samoa, with another 20kg going to the next lifter in the field. Hubbard was one of five weightlifters named to New Zealand’s Olympic team. She will also be the games’ older weightlifter, at 43, and will be rated fourth in the competition for women 87 kilos and over on August 2.
Read More: Franz Stahl Net Worth and all the Ways he Makes His Fortune; wife
When did laurel Hubbard transition herself?
The IOC guideline lays out the requirements for transitioning from male to female athletes to compete in the female category. Hubbard, who was 35 at the time, transitioned eight years ago. She has since fulfilled all of the standards of the International Olympic Committee’s trans athletes and fair competition regulations.
Read More: All about Foo Fighters member Pat Smear net worth and wife
Earning Medals for the Country
Hubbard was named as the Executive Officer of Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand in 2012. She changed her gender and became Laurel Hubbard after that. Hubbard won gold at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa and silver at the 2017 World Championships. She competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games but was forced to withdraw due to a major injury.
Hubbard qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, however an elbow injury forced her to withdraw from the tournament while in first place.
At the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa, Hubbard earned two gold medals. The decision to allow Hubbard to compete was then questioned by Loau Solamalemalo Keneti Sio, the chairman of Samoa 2019, and Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, the Prime Minister of Samoa. At the Roma 2020 World Cup in Rome, Italy, she won gold in the women’s +87 kg category in 2020.
Read More: The ‘Foo Fighters’ Bassist Nate Mendel net worth, house, wife
Laurel Hubbard weights; Olympic qualification
Hubbard was picked for the New Zealand Olympic team to compete in the women’s 87-kilogram division on June 21, 2021, according to the New Zealand Olympic Committee. Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to be selected for the Olympic Games as a result of this decision.
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after being selected by New Zealand for the women's event at the Tokyo Games, a decision set to reignite the debate over inclusion and fairness in sport. https://t.co/sQrnjgCFQx
— Reuters Sports (@ReutersSports) June 21, 2021
Read More: Dave with his Foo Fighters is back on Tour. Who is Dave Grohl wife?
The decision sparked debate, with Belgian weightlifter Anna Van Bellinghen declaring it was “like a bad joke” to allow a transgender woman to compete in the women’s event. Tracey Lambrechs, a former New Zealand representative athlete, also opposed the pick.
“I am aware that defining a legal frame for transgender participation in sports is very difficult since there is an infinite variety of situations and that reaching an entirely satisfactory solution, from either side of the debate, is probably impossible,” Vanbellinghen has said.
| Event | Rank | Category | BWT | Snatch | Cl&Jerk | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | XXI COMMONWEALTH GAMES | — | +90 kg | 142.32 | 120 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | 2017 IWF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | 2 | +90 kg | 135.63 | 124 | 151 | 275 |
| 2017 | COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIPS | 1 | +90 kg | 133.43 | 127 | 146 | 273 |
| 2017 | OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS | 1 | +90 kg | 133.43 | 127 | 146 | 273 |
| 2017 | AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL | 1 | +90 kg | 131.83 | 123 | 145 | 268 |
Few facts about Laurel Hubbard
| Full Name | Lauren Hubbard |
| Birthday | 1978, Feb.9 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 43 |
| Place of Birth | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Profession | Weight lifting |
| Net worth | NA |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Ethnicity | NA |
| Spouse | Single |
| Zodiac Sign | NA |
| Parents | father Dick Hubbard |
| School/College | NA |
| Height | 1.79meters |
| Weight | 87 kg |
Recent Comments