Laurel Hubbard: Birth name, history, weightlifting career and more

Laurel Hubbard is a transgender weightlifter from Auckland, New Zealand, and here is everything you should know about her, including birth name, history, weightlifting career and net worth

Laurel Hubbard Facts

On the 2nd of August in 2021, Laurel Hubbard became the first-ever transgender athlete at the Olympic Games. The New Zealander took part at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, in the women’s +87kg weightlifting event.

Laurel Hubbard History and Personal Life

Laurel Hubbard was born on the 9th of February, 1978, to parents Dick Hubbard and Diana Reader. Her father is the founder of Hubbard Foods and the former Mayor of Auckland.

Hubbard was born a male. As years progressed her masculinity never kicked in. Hence, she thought weightlifting would enhance her masculinity, but it never did.

In 2012, she decided to undergo gender transition, and the very same year she began hormone therapy.

Hubbard is believed to be single currently. She has not been married previously as well. The New Zealander is someone who likes to stay away from the limelight, and hardly gives interviews to the media.

Laurel Hubbard Birth Name

All we know is that Laurel Hubbard changed her name to the current name only after undergoing gender transition in 2012. Her birth name was different. Any information if available, will be updated soon.

Laurel Hubbard Net Worth

Laurel Hubbard is believed to have a net worth of $500,000. This has been solely due to her weightlifting career, which began after she started competing internationally in the year 2017.

Bringing her father into the picture would shoot up her net worth astronomically as Dick Hubbard was a former Mayor of Auckland the founder of Hubbard foods.

Now, that she has become popular, her personal net worth might go up due to several endorsements.

Laurel Hubbard Weightlifting Career

Prior to transitioning to a female, Hubbard took up weightlifting since she felt that being a weightlifter would make her masculine. In 1998 she set numerous weightlifting records in New Zealand (as a male).

However, it was not so. Following her transition to female in 2012, Hubbard began participating internationally from the year 2017, at the ripe old age of 39.

She won a Gold medal at the Australian Open in Melbourne, 2017 in the 90+kg category, the heaviest category. She thereby became the first transgender athlete from New Zealand to win a title.

Hubbard followed it up with a victory at the 2019 Pacific Games, followed by an injury-struck 2018 season. She won 2 Gold medals.

Throughout her career, Hubbard has constantly received criticism for participating as a transgender, although she had the support of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Sports Minister Grant Robertson.

At the 2020 Roma World Cup held in Italy, Hubbard won the Gold medal in the women’s +87kg event.

Meeting the requirements for the standards set by the International Olympic Committee for transgender athletes, Hubbard qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

She became the oldest weightlifter to qualify for the Olympic Games.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Hubbard finished last in the +87kg women’s weightlifting event, after three failed snatch lifts.

Despite being 43 years old, Hubbard was seen as a medal contender. Not many athletes brave the odds and push their bodies. She became the 4th oldest weightlifter ever to compete at the Olympics.

Following 2020 Olympics, Hubbard announced that she would be retiring.

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