Transgender weightlifter Hubbard withdraws from competition
Related Story: 'A man is a man': Controversy over transgender New Zealand weightlifter at Commonwealth Games
New Zealand's transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has withdrawn from competition in the women's +90kg weightlifting final after pulling up with injury.
Hubbard twisted her elbow while attempting a Commonwealth record snatch lift of 132 kg, but dropped the bar behind her in clear pain.
She withdrew from the clean and snatch, in an event she was overwhelming favourite to win.
"It's obviously a difficult time, but the one thing I'm happiest about is that I tried to reach for my best performance. This happens sometimes. That's sport," she said.
Hubbard said she did not regret going for the higher weight, despite the fact she already had the biggest lift in the snatch after just one attempt.
"We can always go back and rerun these things in our heads, but the truth is, unless we try to be the best person, the best athlete we can be, then really we're not being true to sport. I'm happy with the decisions I made to take those weights."
Her appearance at the Commonwealth Games was controversial, with Samoa's weightlifting coach decrying the fact she was competing.
"A man is a man and a woman is a woman and I know a lot of changes have gone through, but in the past Laurel Hubbard used to be a male champion weightlifter," head coach Jerry Wallwork said.
Hubbard left her arrival at the Commonwealth Games to the last minute, arriving after the rest of New Zealand's weightlifting team in order to keep a low profile, refusing any media interviews.
Samoa's competitor Feagaiga Stowers won the +90kg gold in Hubbard's absence.
Australian competitor Deb Lovely-Acason looked slightly wobbly on her legs while in the early competition for first place, nearly walking over the line when lifting 125 kg in the clean and jerk.
She managed to stay just inside the line as she steadied, prompting a huge cheer from the Gold Coast crowd,.
But things got somewhat more eventful on her final lift, looking to go 2kg deeper into first place with a lift of 127kg.
It proved to be too much weight as Lovely-Acason stumbled, nearly throwing the weight down on the referee in front of her at the front of stage.
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