Transgender weightlifter named to NZ weightlifting squad

He's about to compete in the World Championships. www.iwf.net/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/11/2017_Anaheim_Entries_by_cat_v2.pdf

He has submitted an entry of 280kg. This means he's not allowed to start with lifts of less than 265kg, so he's obviously confident.

9 countries have been banned from the World Championships for testosterone doping. North Korea are further unable to unattend due to sanctions. This excludes the first place (333kg), second (325kg), third (298kg) and fifth (292kg) place competitors from the last world championships.

Leaving only Chitchanok Pulsabsakul (4th last time, with 296kg) above Hubbard.

So he's likely to be a World Championship medallist shortly. Could even be gold.

Hubbard so far has competed in three, and won three open events.

www.iwf.net/results/athletes/?athlete=hubbard-laurel-1978-02-09&id=13974

In all three cases he has beaten the same woman, Iuniarra Sipaia. Samoa is a developing country with a population of only 200,000 with a strong tradition of weightlifting, and limited resources.

He also pushed British weightlifter Emily Campbell out of bronze medal position in her first senior event.

Imagine flying to Australia after years of training to compete in your first senior event only to be denied a medal by a cheating man.

UK Athletics funding (for basic living costs) is contingent on getting in top 8 of world championships. Imagine being denied a living in your sport by a cheating man.

He will likely win gold at the Commonwealth Games.

Last time round the competition was won by Maryam Usman, a Nigerian women who took up weightlifting to combat sexual harassment by men. www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/i-became-a-weightlifter-because-of-men-usman/ She lifted 280kg.

However she may not compete this time, as the Nigerian Weightlifting Federation did not have enough money to send a team to the relevant qualifying competitions. www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1055042/nigerian-weightlifters-fear-may-miss-gold-coast-2018-following-commonwealth-weightlifting-championships-absence

Meanwhile Hubbard is the son of the multimillionaire former Mayor of Auckland.

Hubbard is getting stronger.

In March he broke the NZ women's record with 123kg snatch, 145kg clean + jerk

In May he set the 'Masters' (35+) women world record with 131kg snatch and 149kg clean + jerk.

He was named 'Women's Grand Master' earning the highest points total (based on the amount he lifted and his age and weight). His points total, 316, was fully 20% ahead of the first actual woman Jo Aita www.instagram.com/joannaita7/

His lift total of 280kg broke the Masters record of Susanne Dandenault by 60kg (27%)

He is only 5kg off the Commonwealth (open) Record of Ele Opeloge, who became Samoa's first Olympic medallist after she was retrospectively awarded the 2008 Olympic silver medal after the silver and bronze medallists were disqualified for doping. And he is 6kg short of the Olympic Bronze medal position in 2016.

The irony is that lots of women are disqualified for testosterone doping while Hubbard is allowed to compete with testosterone levels of up to 10 nmol /l of testosterone, a level which in MEN (let alone women) is still within normal bounds.

He's absolutely taking the piss, but he gets applauded for 'breaking boundaries', and other such bollocks.