“Reporters from around the world showed up hours early, waiting in line for a chance to interview Laurel Hubbard. Now, as she made her way into the mixed zone, the room where athletes answer questions after competition, the assembled media leaned close and held out tape recorders to catch every word.
It did not matter that the New Zealand weightlifter had just missed on all three of her snatch attempts. It did not matter that she was the first athlete eliminated from the evening session of the super-heavyweight division.
A representative from the New Zealand team accompanied Hubbard into the room and announced that she would make a brief statement and would not be taking any questions. The 43-year-old rarely speaks publicly…”