Transgender Olympic hopeful suffers gruesome career-ending injury
New Zealand transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who went by Gavin Hubbard until 2014, suffered a gruesome injury that will likely spell the end of Hubbard’s bid to become the first openly transgender Olympian in 2020.
Hubbard, 40, ruptured a left elbow ligament while competing at the Commonwealth Games on Monday, per CNN.
In real time, the injury doesn’t look particularly bad.
But in slow motion, it becomes abundantly clear that Hubbard’s left elbow contorted in a gruesome way that it’s not meant to.
Hubbard immediately knew something serious had happened when the injury occurred.
“If what I understand is correct, my arm is busted,” Hubbard told reporters during a media session.
The Olympic hopeful also shed some light on the severity of the injury.
“It looks like it’s probably going to be a career-ending injury, which is a real shame,” Hubbard said. “I’m glad that I’ve gone out trying to achieve my best on the platform.”
Born male, Hubbard began transitioning to a woman at age 35.
As Gavin, he frequently competed in elite weightlifting events with men.
Now, Hubbard adheres to strict rules regulating testosterone levels when competing with women.
As recently as December, Hubbard earned a silver medal in the 90-kilogram-plus super-heavyweight division, bested only by American Sarah Robles. That event did lead to some friction, however.
“There was no controversy between the lifters about her presence here, but there was between some of the coaching staffs,” Robles’ coach, Tim Swords, was quoted as saying. “When Sarah beat Hubbard in the snatch we were congratulated by multiple coaching staffs. Nobody wanted her to win.”
Many critics grumbled aloud about Hubbard having an unfair advantage due to being born male and eventually becoming a man who regularly competed in elite weightlifting events.
“[Weightlifting has] always been a gender-specific sport,” Australian Weightlifting Federation chief executive Michael Keelan argues, a position that many others in the field share.
The 2020 Olympics are slated to begin in July in Tokyo.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
