Laurel Hubbard, the New Zealand weightlifter and first transgender woman to compete in an Olympic Games, found history backlit in heartbreak. In Monday’s 87+Kg women’s weightlifting competition at Tokyo International Forum, Hubbard failed to record a successful lift in the snatch, which eliminated her from the event.
In her first attempt she failed to get 120 kilograms overhead in an unsteady try where she seemed to lose her footing. The second attempt, this time at 125 kilograms looked solid. She had a momentary struggle, similar to the first lift, but recovered to get the bar overhead and steady. She dropped the weight thinking that she had made a good lift, but a majority of judges ruled it as a failed lift.
Her final attempt was the heartbreaker. Needing a successful lift to stay in the competition, she again struggled to align to raise the bar. Hubbard was the only competitor in the final group who failed to finish the event.
Hubbard’s first try at 125kg looked good after failing an opening lift at 120kg, but the majority of judges ruled otherwise.
Hubbard made a “thank you” gesture to the crowd followed by a disappointed but graceful exit.