Laurel Hubbard
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Born | 1978 (age 45–46) |
| Years active | 1998–2018 |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Weightlifting |
Laurel Hubbard (born 1978) is a New Zealand transgender weightlifter.[1]
Career
Hubbard is the child of Dick Hubbard, a former Mayor of Auckland City[2] and the founder of Hubbard Foods.[citation needed]
Competing before her gender transition, Hubbard set New Zealand junior records in 1998 in the newly established M105+ division with snatch 135 kg, clean & jerk 170 kg, total 300 kg.[3] Those records were later surpassed by David Liti.[4]
In 2012 Hubbard was appointed to the position of Executive Officer for Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand.[citation needed] Subsequently she transitioned to female and became Laurel Hubbard.[5]
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.[6][7] She thus became the first trans woman to win an international weightlifting title for New Zealand.[5][8] Although Hubbard met eligibility requirements to compete, her win sparked controversy, with some other competitors claiming the competition was unfair.[2][8][9] Athletes that were critical of the decision to allow Hubbard to compete include Iuniarra Sipaia,[9] Toafitu Perive,[9] Deborah Acason[8] and Tracey Lambrechs.[8] Australian Weightlifting Federation's chief executive, Michael Keelan, said it was unfair to other competitors.[7]
Hubbard qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games,[10] but an elbow injury during the competition forced her withdrawal from the event[11] while leading the field.[12]
Hubbard won two gold medals at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.[13]
Major results
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
| Pacific Games | ||||||||||||
| 2019 |  Apia, Samoa |
+87kg | 112 | 118 | 125 |  |
133 | 143 | |
268 |
| |
| Commonwealth Games | ||||||||||||
| 2018 |  Gold Coast, Australia[14] |
+90 kg | 120 | 1 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | DNF | ||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2017 |  Anaheim, United States[15] |
+90 kg | 120 | 124 |  |
144 | 147 | 151 | 4 | 275 |
| |
| Oceania Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | Gold Coast, Australia[15] |
+90 kg | 120 | 127 | 1 | 140 | 146 | 1 | 273 |
| ||
| Commonwealth Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | Gold Coast, Australia[15] |
+90 kg | 120 | 127 | 1 | 140 | 146 | 1 | 273 |
| ||
| World Masters Games | ||||||||||||
| 2017 |  Auckland, New Zealand[16] |
+90 kg | 120 | 127 | 131 | 1 | 135 | 143 | 149 | 1 | 280 |
|
Personal life
In January 2019, Hubbard pleaded guilty to careless driving causing injury after an incident in October 2018 which left another driver with severe spinal injuries. She paid reparations and was disqualified from driving for one month. The presiding judge also ordered that Hubbard's name be suppressed to avoid distressing publicity as she trained for the Olympics. However, the order was lifted in July 2019 after Stuff appealed to the High Court.[17]
References
- ^ "Commonwealth Games: Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard set to compete". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ a b "'She has every right to compete with women': Transgender weightlifter sparks criticism after competition win". Yahoo News Australia. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "New Zealand Interschool's Weightlifting Championship 2014 – Round 6" (PDF). Sporty.co.nz. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "National Records – Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand". Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Weightlifting: Transgender lifter Laurel Hubbard wins first international outing". The New Zealand Herald. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "2017 Australian International & Australian Open" (PDF). Awf.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ a b Windley, Matt (19 March 2017). "Laurel Hubbard wins female 90kg+ division at weightlifting's Australian International". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d Payne, Marissa (22 March 2017). "Transgender woman wins international weightlifting title amid controversy over fairness". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Woman lifter beaten by transgender speaks up". Samoaobserver.ws. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Laurel Hubbard - New Zealand Olympic Team". 24 November 2017.
- ^ Tunnicliffe, Bridget (9 April 2018). "Hubbard has no regrets, stays 'true to sport'". Radio New Zealand.
- ^ Helen Davidson (1 January 1970). "Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard's eligibility under scrutiny | Sport". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "Transgender weightlifter Hubbard beats home favourites at Samoa 2019 after driving incident revealed". Inside the Games. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games Results Book" (PDF). Gold Coast 2018 Official Website. GOLDOC. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ a b c "HUBBARD Laurel NZL". Athletes search results. IWF – International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "2017 World Masters Games" (PDF). IWF – Masters Weightlifting. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ van Beynen, Martin (12 July 2019). "Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard's dogged fight to keep her name out of the media". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 July 2019.