A New Zealand weightlifting athlete who participated in the Tokyo Olympics as a transgender athlete whose mind and body do not match has announced his intention to retire from the competition.
Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand announced that he was transgender in 2013 and had undergone sex reassignment surgery before participating in a women's weightlifting event.
He was the first transgender Olympic athlete to participate in a class that weighs more than 87 kg for women at the Tokyo Games, but in the match on the 2nd, he failed all three attempts in the first half and ended without a record.
Hubbard, who was interviewed by some media in Tokyo on the 3rd, said, "It may be time to stop the competition and concentrate on other things in life," and retired from the competition because of the age of 43. I made clear my intention.
There were pros and cons over the participation of transgender players from outside the sports world, but Hubbard said, "I tried not to worry about negative news and opinions as much as possible. This is because the number of people will increase. "
On top of that, "I wish I could encourage someone to be on the stage of the Olympics. I want people who are facing difficulties or struggling in life to realize that they can live as they are in this world." I called.