Transgender Kiwi weightlifting star Laurel Hubbard will be a late arrival at the Commonwealth Games, in a bid to give her the best chance of success on the Gold Coast.
Despite being granted permission to compete, some of Hubbard's rivals - including Australian and Samoa officials - have hit out at her being allowed to take part, claiming she has an unfair advantage.
She spent the first 35 years of life as a man, and following her transition, she has become a force in women's lifting.
Hubbard spoke to 1 NEWS for the first time since winning two silver medals at the world champs in Anaheim. (Source: Other)
Last year, she was the first Kiwi of either gender to win a world championships medal, and will be eyeing a gold medal when she competes in the second week.
Ensuring her preparation is on point was the reason for her late arrival.
"She's coming in the back end of this week, Friday, and it's just a performance focus really," the team's high performance manager Simon Kent said as the weightlifting team met the media today.
"She doesn't compete until Monday week so she's really happy with her training environment back home and everything is comfortable and where she needs it to be.
"You see it a lot with sports teams who have to travel, you either travel early and really acclimatise and get used to the different environmental contexts, or you fly in the last minute
It's just a personal preference and making sure she's ready to go."
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