Laurel Hubbard has won a silver medal at the world championships in Anaheim. (FILE PHOTO)

Controversial New Zealand transgender athlete Laurel Hubbard has won New Zealand's first medals at a weightlifting world championships.

Hubbard, 39, opened by claiming silver with a lift of 124kg in the snatch in the +90kg class at the worlds in Anaheim, California, on Wednesday (NZT).

While she was out of the medals for the clean and jerk with her 151kg effort, her combined total of 275kg was good enough for the silver medal overall.

American Sarah Robles, the bronze medallist at last year's Rio Olympics, won gold in all three categories, lifting 126kg in the snatch and 158kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 284kg.

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The +90kg category was on the world championship programme for the first time but many of the world's best super-heavyweight women were not competing after nine nations were banned for multiple doping offences. The Olympic gold and silver medallists were absent.

No New Zealand lifter has previously won a world championship medal in any weight or category.

Hubbard wasn't at her best for her big moment. Her lift in the snatch was 7kg shy of her New Zealand and Ocean record set at the North island championships in June. But her clean and jerk matched her New Zealand record lift though she was 7kg short of her New Zealand record total.

Ironically her strong effort in the clean and jerk in Anaheim was only good enough four fourth in world championship company.

Hubbard had a great duel with Robles in the snatch category.

Hubbard chose to enter that competition at 120kg, 20kg more than the lightest weight chosen by her eight opponents and 2kg more than the next heaviest.

It was a sign of her confidence.

She looked assured in lifting the 120kg and then put pressure on her rivals with 124kg for her second lift, albeit a bit of a struggle.

Robles responded to that with her third and final lift of 126kg.

That left Hubbard trying to lift 127kg for gold but she failed.

Hubbard appeared conservative in her clean and jerk lifts with her third and final effort of 158kg achieved with apparent comfort.

Hubbard's effort comes on top of three gold medals in the women's +90kg at the 2017 Oceania Championships.

She has won the three events in which she has taken part, all in Australia, since her debut in international weightlifting last March and is in New Zealand's team for the Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast next April.

Hubbard complies with the conditions put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose procedures on transgender athletes are followed by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

Her presence in women's weightlifting has sparked unease from some rivals.

Tim Swords, Robles's coach, said ahead of the world championships: "I do not want to say anything negative, but in my humble opinion this is not fair."

But Swords could have few complaints on the day with his athlete Robles in a different class to the other lifters.