Tokyo Olympics: Canadian soccer player Quinn will become first transgender athlete to win medal

Canadian soccer player Quinn became the first openly trans athlete to compete in an Olympics by starting against host nation Japan in the squad’s first group game at Tokyo 2020 and will now become the first to win a medal.

Canada take on Sweden in the gold-medal match on Friday in Yokohama in the evening. The Canadians famously dumped the favourites – Team USA – out of the tournament in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win thanks to a penalty by midfielder Jessie Fleming.

Quinn, who came out as non-binary and transgender in 2020, slots in at midfield and played 72 minutes against Japan in their 1-1 draw in their first group match. Quinn then played 29 minutes against Chile in the team’s 2-1 win, and 67 minutes against Great Britain in another 1-1 draw.

Canada faced Brazil in the quarter-finals and Quinn played 63 minutes, registering a shot on goal as the Canadians won 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after both teams failed to score after extra time. In Canada’s game against the USA, Quinn registered 60 minutes.

Quinn posted a message on Instagram after the historic game against Japan.

“First openly trans Olympian to compete,” Quinn wrote. “I don’t know how to feel. I feel proud seeing ‘Quinn’ up on the line-up and on my accreditation. I feel sad knowing there were Olympians before me unable to live their truth because of the world.

“I feel optimistic for change. Change in legislature. Changes in rules, structures, and mindsets. Mostly, I feel aware of the realities. Trans girls being banned from sports. Trans women facing discrimination and bias while trying to pursue their Olympic dreams. The fight isn’t close to over … and I’ll celebrate when we’re all here.”

According to Quinn’s official biography on the Canadian soccer team’s website, Quinn hails from an incredibly athletic family. Quinn’s father Bill played rugby at the University of Western Ontario, while Quinn’s mother played basketball at the University of Waterloo. Quinn’s twin sister Jillian previously played football at Northeastern University in the US, and Quinn’s other sister Lauren competed in swimming at the University of Western Ontario.

Quinn came out in an Instagram post in September of 2020.

“I wanted to be my authentic self in all spheres of my life. And one of those is being in a public space, so that was one of the reasons behind it. I was tired of being misgendered and everything like that. When I was figuring out who I was, it was really scary and I didn’t really understand if I had a future in football, if I had a future in life.

“As I’ve lived as an openly trans person with the people I love most for many years, I did always wonder when I’d come out publicly. I think being visible is huge and it’s something that helped me when I was trying to figure out my identity.

“I wanted to pass that along and then hopefully other people will come out as well if they feel safe to do so and I can create a safer space for them. I think I’m just really proud of myself that I’ve been able to do this. I’m really happy that I’m living authentically in my life. I think it’s really beautiful.

“I think the [2020] Olympics is a massive platform to have that visibility. It’s also my hope that there are other people following in my footsteps and so I hope that it opens the door to other trans athletes being represented at the Olympics.”

New Zealand transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard finished last in the group section of the +87kg weightlifting competition on Monday, failing to record a snatch after attempted lifts at 120kg, then twice at 125kg, receiving a DNF (did not finish). Hubbard flashed a heart sign to the cameras when walking away from the podium.

The competition was won by China’s Li Wenwen, who set three Olympic records in the process. Hubbard became the first New Zealand weightlifter to collect a medal at the world championships, winning silver medals in the +90kg overall and snatch at the 2017 competition in the USA.

Hubbard was born a male and competed in men’s weightlifting categories at national level as a teenager and early 20s. After turning 23, Hubbard quit the sport but returned in her 30s and began entering competitions in 2017.

“One of the misconceptions that’s out there is that I’ve trained all my life and that transition has happened relatively late in the piece. What people probably don’t realise is that I actually stopped lifting in 2001, when I was 23, because it just became too much,” Hubbard said.

“But the world has changed, of course, and I feel like I’m now in a place where I can train and compete and cope with all of that – the pressure of a world that wasn’t really set up for people like myself.”