TRANSGENDER athlete Laurel Hubbard is OUT of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after failing to record a successful snatch.
The New Zealander made history this afternoon by becoming the first transgender athlete to compete in an individual event at the Games.
A staggering 120kg was placed on the Olympic bar for Hubbard to snatch above her head for her first lift.
The 43-year-old, however, was unable to adequately stabilise the weight after a decent lift off.
Hubbard, who was competing in the over 87kg division, then failed her following attempts at 125 and 130kg.
The Kiwi’s third failure sent her crashing out of the tournament as athletes are not allowed to proceed to the clean and jerk portion of the competition without recording a successful snatch.
Hubbard was visibly devastated but showed her class by bowing to the officials and those in attendance in the crowd.
Before walking back to the warm-up room, she looked at the camera and said: “Thank you.”
After her early exit, Hubbard said: “I’m not entirely unaware of the controversy which surrounds my participation at these Games.
And as such, I would particularly like to thank the IOC, for I think really affirming its commitment to the principles of Olympism and establishing that sport is something for all people, that it is inclusive and is accessible.”
Thank you
Laurel Hubbard after her third snatch attempt
Hubbard has been eligible to lift at the Olympics since 2015, when the IOC began permitting transgender athletes to compete as women if their testosterone levels were below 10 nanomoles per litre for at least a year before competition.
Many scientists and athletes, however, criticised the guidelines, insisting the Hubbard had an unfair advantage due to her body having years of the physiological benefits of testosterone.
Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen was one of the few athletes to come out and lambast the decision, which he branded a ‘bad joke’.
She said: “I understand that for sports authorities nothing is as simple as following your common sense and that there are a lot of impracticalities when studying such a rare phenomenon.
“But for athletes, the whole thing feels like a bad joke,” Vanbellinghen added.
“Life-changing opportunities are missed for some athletes — medals and Olympic qualifications — and we are powerless.”
Hubbard was grateful for the opportunity to compete in the games and thanked the IOC the day before her exit.
She said: “The Olympic Games are a global celebration of our hopes, our ideals and our values.
“I commend the IOC for its commitment to making sport inclusive and accessible.”
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Hubbard transition from male to female in 2012 and underwent hormone therapy that year.
Five years after making the transition, she returned to competition at the Australian International & Australian Open in Melbourne.
Hubbard, the daughter of former Auckland Mayor Dick, left the competition with a gold medal after snatching 125kg and clean and jerking 145kg at a bodyweight of 131.83kg.
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
