Laurel Hubbard is a New Zealand-based weight lifter. She was selected to compete at the Summer Olympics 2020 and became the first-ever transgender to compete in weightlifting. She has been ranked at seventh position in the IWF’s women’s +87 kg division. Being born in Auckland, New Zealand, she represented herself at the Tokyo Olympics Games 2020. When she first began weightlifting, she became a national record holder at men’s events.
Early life
Laurel Hubbard was born on 9 February 1987 and is currently 43 years old. Laurel Hubbard’s father’s name is Dick Hubbard who was a former Mayor of Auckland city and her mother is Diana Reader. She was also the founder of Hubbard foods. In 2017, Laurel competed in the North Island Games and won the gold medal at the Australian Championship by lifting approximately 113 kg of weight. She earned the fourth rank that was the highest of the total in the Olympics Games. Laurel has always been a successful personality in front of audiences. She tried a lot to overcome her hurdles with willpower. However, she has not revealed much in front of the public about her personal life or early life with education.
Laurel Hubbard Career
In 2012, Laurel Hubbard transitioned to female. She transitioned herself using hormone therapy. Later in 2017, she competed in international weightlifting first time. At the Australian International & Australian open in Melbourne, she became the first trans woman to win the international weight lighting. Though she met all the eligibilities and requirements to compete, her win sparked controversies in the media and television to which she said was unfair with other competitors. Later in 2018, commonwealth games, she got qualified for the games. Although, her elbow injury forced her to withdraw during the event while being a leading member in the field. After the injury, Laurel Hubbard announced her retirement from weightlifting. In the 2019 Pacific Games, she won two gold medals and marked her return with weightlifting.
However, her decision to the comeback was frequently criticized by many people. Thereafter in 2020, she won the gold medal for the country at the Rome 2020 world cup event with +87 Kg lifting. She made her hold the position of weight lifter in 300kg in domestic competition. But soon after, she stepped back from the weight lifting career in 2001 at the age of 23. She revealed that it became too much to bear. The pressure of trying to fit into a world that was not really for people like her was difficult. After beginning her transition in 2012, many doors were opened for her to return to weightlifting as her career for life. Later in 2017 with almost 16 years, she made her comeback with weightlifting in the Olympics Games.
Laurel Hubbard Biography |
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| Real Name | Laurel Hubbard |
| Birth Date | 9 February 1978 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 43Years |
| Birth Place | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Profession | Weightlifter |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | Aquarius |
Physical Statistics |
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| Height | in feet inches – 6’ 1” – in Centimeters – 185 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 130 kg – in Pounds – 286 lbs |
| Shoe Size | 10 (U.S.) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Body Type | Fat |
Family |
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| Father | Dick Hubbard |
| Mother | Diana Reader |
| Sister | – |
| Brother | – |
Qualification/Education |
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| School | – |
| College | – |
Relationship Status |
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| Marital Status | Single |
| Affair | No |
| Is she a Lesbian? | No |
| Boyfriend | None |
Personal life
Before coming out as a transgender, Hubbard competed at the level of junior records in 1998 and made a total of 300Kg weight lift. Hubbard had spoken about the truth of her life to what many have made one of the major misconceptions. She revealed that it was all a misconception that she trained herself before getting transitioned to female. She stated that it was too much to bear and having the pressure of trying to fit into the world was perhaps not for the people like her.
Hubbard is currently single and not dating anyone. There is not much information about her relationships or previous engagements. According to the database, she is not married and doesn’t have any children.
Laurel Hubbard Net worth
Laurel is supposed to make earnings from her weight lifting career only. Though she was not there in the competition for few years, she met all the eligibility criteria to be at top positions in weightlifting. She is estimated to earn $ 1 Million to $ 5 Million from her weight lifting career.
Trivia
- On 21 June 2021, the New Zealand Olympic Committee confirmed Laurel to be among the selected persons to compete in the +87 Kg category.
- After the selection to the committee, she became the oldest member to compete in the games.
- This made her be the first open transgender athlete to get selected for the competition in weight lifting though transgender athletes were allowed to compete in the Olympics since 2004.