Laurel Hubbard Fails Olympic Medal Bid

Laurel Hubbard became the first openly trans woman to compete at the Olympics this week, 20 years after the rules allowing trans athletes were introduced. However, her bid to win gold for New Zealand was crushed.

Competing in the over-87kg-super-heavy category of weightlifting, Hubbard's qualification had triggered a spree of transphobic abuse and put significant pressure and attention on the athlete. Some had accused her of having a 50% biological advantage over other competitors as Hubbard was a trans woman, yet it would appear that this did not materialize during the competition itself.

Lifting the 120kg barbell, trying to get it over her head, Hubbard dropped it twice. When she finally got it over her head, two-thirds of the judges ruled that she did not have full control, invalidating it. With that, her Olympic dream ended as she finished bottom of contest.

Addressing a press pool, Hubbard was visibly nervous - to be expected after the extent of the abuse sent her way by people accusing her of effectively "stealing" the medal from cisgendered athletes. She thanked the New Zealand Olympic Committee, the Japanese organisers, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for being incredibly supportive of her, particularly in the face of such a wave of hate. There had been an unsuccessful petition to have Hubbard disqualified, which the IOC rejected outright.

Hubbard said: “I think that they reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of Olympianism. They’ve demonstrated, I think, that sport is something all people around the world can do. It’s inclusive, it’s accessible, and I think that’s just really fabulous. I know that my participation in these Games has not been entirely without controversy. But they’ve been just so wonderful. They’ve been such a help, and I’m so grateful to them all. Thank you.”

She did not take questions but she said: “Thank you so very much for your interest in my performance this evening. I know that from a sporting perspective, I haven’t really hit the standards that I’ve put on myself, and perhaps the standards that my country was expecting of me. But one of the things which I’m so profoundly grateful for is the supporters in New Zealand that have just given me so much love and encouragement.”

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