Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard Did Not Win Gold During This Year's Olympics
The Claim
Laurel Hubbard won gold during a weightlifting competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
News posted on
Emerging story
It appears that a Facebook account with the name Tringlobe Media first suggested that Hubbard won in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. That post has hundreds of likes and dates back to July 31, days before the weightlifting competition even took place. That post and the idea behind it spread for days after on various social media platforms. Commenters have indicated they believe this is a photo from the 2020 Olympics.
Misbar’s Analysis
Hubbard did not win gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hubbard was unable to complete three of her lifts at the Olympics, which made her lose out on a medal. The photo that’s circulating is from 2019 when Hubbard won gold in Samoa. There are various indicators that the photo was taken at that time, including the words “Samoa” and “2019” on participants' clothing.
But social media users — especially those who commented — were quick to associate this photo with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Those claims are incorrect.
Tringlobe Media, the Facebook account that appeared to have posted the photo first, also does not seem to be a news outlet. The site bills itself as a “versatile (online) broadcasting and media production company located in Chase Village Trinidad and Tobago.” Tringlobe also says it offers livestream coverage and broadcasting. Its Facebook page does include several videos that appear to be real-life footage. But there’s no indication that this site is credible.
Additionally, many of these posts say Hubbard is a man, which is wrong. Hubbard is the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympics. As some controversy has followed her participation, Olympic committee medical director Richard Budgett, said, “Hubbard is a woman, is competing under the rules of her federation, and we have to pay tribute to her courage and tenacity in actually competing and qualifying for the Games.”
