Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard set to become first transgender Olympian Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender Olympian, and the oldest weightlifter, to compete in the Tokyo Games later this year. 4SHARES The Olympic rings floating on a platform near Odaiba, in Tokyo Bay, in anticipation of the Olympic Games – Photo: Real Estate Japan, via Wikimedia. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is slated to become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after qualifying for the upcoming Tokyo Games, which were postponed a year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Hubbard qualified for the games in the women’s super heavyweight division, due to a rule change passed regarding the qualification system, which originally required athletes to participate in six events across three six-month-long phases, with the best result from each phase, plus the best remaining result, being used to qualify. By competing, athletes also offered themselves up for testing for performance-enhancing drugs.