Laurel Hubbard

“I have always believed it is not enough just to wear the silver fern and I do not regret pushing myself to try to deliver my best possible performance.”

“I'm not here to change the world, I'm just want to be me and do what I do.”

“I am grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders.”

“People believe what they believe when they are shown something that may be new and different to what they know. It's instinctive to be defensive.”

“It just became too much to bear... the pressure of trying to fit into a world that perhaps wasn't really set up for people like myself.”

“I thought perhaps if I tried something that was so masculine perhaps that's what I would become. Sadly, that wasn't the case... sad in the sense that maybe it would have made some of the darker periods in my life a bit more manageable.”

“There are moments of high mood, there are moments of low mood, there are moments of injury, there are moments of strength, there are moments of progress, there are moments of stagnation. All we can do is keep on pushing.”

“Obviously the policies put forward by the IOC and other organizations are evolving and perhaps they may change after I have competed. But I would ask people to keep an open mind and perhaps look to the fact that I didn't win, as evidence that any advantage I may hold is not as great as they may think.”

“All you can do is focus on the task at hand and if you keep doing that it will get you through.”

“The rules that enabled me to compete first went into effect in 2003. They are known as the Stockholm consensus with the IOC, but I think even 10 years ago the world perhaps wasn't ready for an athlete like myself - and perhaps it is not ready now.”

“I commend the IOC for its commitment to making sport inclusive and accessible.”

“I'm mindful I won't be supported by everyone but I hope that people can keep an open mind and perhaps look at my performance in a broader context.”

“The Olympic Games are a global celebration of our hopes, our ideals and our values.”

“All I can do is be myself, do what I do and if people find inspiration then that's great but it's not what I'm setting out to do.”

“Like I said, I don't want to pretend that I am a robot. When you hear things it's natural to feel some kind of hurt.”

“Perhaps the fact that it has taken so long for someone like myself to come through indicates that some of the problems that people are suggesting aren't what they might seem.”

“The Commonwealth Games here are a model for what sport can, and should, be. It's an incredible environment and an amazing atmosphere. Without any doubt, they have lived up to the mantra of humanity, equality and decency.”

“The mana of the silver fern comes from all of you and I will wear it with pride.”

“But I can't control what other people think, what they feel, what they believe and I'm not going to try. It's not my job to tell them what to think, what to feel or what to believe.”

“The Australian crowd was magnificent. It felt like just a big embrace. They really made me try to lift my best.”