Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete participant to compete in the Olympics after being selected for the New Zealand women’s team in Tokyo 2020.
Hubbard, 43, took part in the men’s event before her transition in 2013.
She had qualified for the Olympics as a transgender athlete since 2015 when the International Olympic Committee changed its guidelines regarding this issue.
Laurel Hubbard secured a place for Tokyo Olympics after the weightlifting steering committee amended the qualifying requirements.
The new change meant athletes only had to attend four competitions rather than six because of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
Super-heavyweight Hubbard earned silver at the 2017 World Championship and now has a world ranking of 17.
