There was outrage when it was announced that New Zealand had selected a man to be in our international weightlifting team, but the gamble has paid off with Hubbard bringing home a gold medal from the Australian Open and now a silver medal from the World Championships, both a historic first for our small island nation. Laurel, formerly known as Gavin, was top of his game in New Zealand, but stood no chance in the men's division on the international stage where we had never won a weightlifting medal in both the men's and women's divisions.
Transgender athlete Hubbard finished runner-up in the snatch and overall categories in the women's 90kg-plus division at Anaheim in California
[He] is the first Kiwi to win a medal at the world championships. [His] best weight of 124kg in the snatch was only beaten by American Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Robles, who was successful at 126kg.
Hubbard had a shot at gold when attempting 127kg but [he] failed to lift the bar completely above [his] head, expressing disappointment at falling short of [his] personal best 131kg set last year.
He stumbled only 2kgs short of gold, and 7kgs short of his personal best at 131kg. Having his testosterone dropped to the level of a male Buzzfeed writer has harmed his strength somewhat, as he is now lifting at least 4kgs lower than when he competed as a man.
Some say this is the end of women's sport as it creates an uneven playing field, but others see this as an opportunity to bridge the gender divide and prove that men really are better than women at everything.