Trans Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard Fails During Tokyo Olympics Competition After 3rd Snatch Attempt

By Steeve Strange • August 2, 2021 4:49 pm

On Monday morning, Laurel Hubbard, a transexual weightlifter from New Zealand, failed to register a single successful lift in the women’s +87kg weightlifting event at the Tokyo Olympics, crashing out of the competition.

Hubbard’s Olympics were cut short due to a failed attempt to lift 120 kg and two failed attempts at 125 kilograms in the snatch.

On his second effort, Hubbard got the bar above his head and appeared to gain credit for the 125 kg snatch. The jury, however, decided that this would not be the case.

He had another 125 kg effort, but he strained to stand and dropped the bar behind him. Hubbard formed a heart with his hands and waved to the spectators.

Hubbard went on to congratulate New Zealand fans, the people of Japan, and a number of sporting organizations, including the Federation of International Gymnastics and the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Hubbard allegedly had no clue regarding controversies regarding his participation in the Games.

“I’m not entirely unaware of the controversy which surrounds my participation at these Games,” said Hubbard after his exit.

“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.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reiterated its complete support for transgender athletes only days before Hubbard’s contentious presence at the event, when medical director Richard Budgett said that “transwomen are women” and should be included in women’s sport “when we reasonably can.”

“After 100 years of promoting women’s sport, it’s up to each of the international federations to ensure that they try and protect women’s sport,” he told a briefing in Tokyo. “Science will help, experience will help, and time will help.”

Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is out of the Olympics after failing on her 3rd snatch attempt.

Read more on how letting athletes compete according to their gender identity harms women's sports: https://t.co/NRN5ll41jq pic.twitter.com/3HufrWKyE9

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Despite the International Olympic Committee’s repeated assertions that anybody who identifies as a woman can compete alongside women, eight U.S. states have recently adopted legislation prohibiting biological males from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. These laws will help protect the integrity of women’s sports.

Belgian Olympian Vanbellinghen slammed the IOC for sneaking biological men into women’s sports.

“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 said, according to InsideTheGames.