New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made history at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, becoming the first female transgender athlete to compete in the Games, but failed to lift a bar in the +87 competition. kg.
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Hubbard, both smiling but also visibly moved by the challenge when arriving on the plateau, started her competition with a bar at 120 kg, then a second and a third at 125 kg but could not succeed in the slightest attempt.
Read also: First transgender of the Olympic Games, Laurel Hubbard is debating
The 43-year-old New Zealander was born male and competed in the youth men's categories before beginning a transition process to becoming a woman at around 30.
She became selectable for women after meeting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) criteria for transgender athletes.
However, his presence in Tokyo sparked a complex debate on questions of bioethics, human rights, science, equity and identity in sport.
Hubbard supporters believe that qualifying for the Olympics represents a victory for inclusiveness and the rights of transgender people.
But others see her as having an unfair advantage over her rivals because of physical abilities inherited from decades as a man.