After Nine Seconds Of Silence, Olympic Weightlifters Decline To Answer For Trans Competitor

Transgendered weightlifter Laurel Hubbard failed out of the Tokyo Olympics after not being able to complete the snatch part of the competition, but that didn’t stop a journalist from asking the +87kg medal winners a flaming hot question about someone who couldn’t even make it to the clean & jerk session.

“There was a historic night here with Laurel Hubbard competing as the first openly transgender in an individual event,” the reporter said. “I was wondering what you felt about that and what you felt that it took place in your sport.”

Silence. Crickets.

There was nine seconds of silence from Li Wenwen of China, who won gold and Emily Campbell of Great Britain, who won silver before U.S. weightlifter Sarah Robles, who won bronze, broke the ice and turned on her mic to deliver a “No thank you.”

A Tale Of Two Questions pic.twitter.com/BqSNn2niEV

— 𝔻𝕣. 𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣 🍥🍥 (@artofhunger75) August 3, 2021

“I know that from a sporting perspective, I haven’t really hit the standards that I have put upon myself and perhaps the standards my country has expected of me,” Hubbard told the media after failing at the snatch. “But one of the things for which I am so profoundly grateful is the supporters in New Zealand that have just given me so much love and encouragement, and I think really I wish I could thank them all at this point, but there are just too many to name.”

And that was it. Hubbard refused to take questions and left the Olympic weightlifting center.

This is 18-year-old Roviel Detenamo from the tiny & poor nation of Nauru whose Olympic career should have begun today. Instead the IOC wasted her place on the vanity project of 43-year-old Laurel Hubbard. Why do male feelings always trump female rights? #savewomenssport pic.twitter.com/fKi7DAtPwS

— Janice Turner (@VictoriaPeckham) August 2, 2021