Aucklander Cam McTaggart placed sixth in the men’s 81kg weightlifting.
McTaggart succeeded with snatches of 135kg and 138kg, but missed 141kg. In the clean and jerk he lifted 165kg at first attempt, but missed twice at 170kg.
His total of 303kg was 22kg behind Englishman Chris Murray, who earned the gold medal.
McTaggart lifted for New Zealand at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, when he was seventh.
The New Zealander said he had “mixed emotions” after his competition. “It was a tough lead-up – there were some bumps along the way. But I got out there and competed and I’m proud of myself.”
He had to make a late change of plan when his snatches didn’t go too well in his warm-up. “The plan had been to open at 137 or 140, but it just wasn’t there. And I was not at my best in the clean and jerk in the competition. There’s only so much you do to convince yourself you feel good – you lift a big weight of the floor and suddenly you know it’s just not there.”
Emma McIntyre finished fifth in the women’s 64kg competition.
The Christchurch lifter was successful with snatch attempts at 81kg and 84kg, but missed at 88kg. In the clean and jerk she lifted 100kg and 103kg, but missed at 106kg. Her total was 187kg.
The competition was won by Canadian Maude Charron in a Games record of 224kg. The first four lifters were in a class of their own but McIntyre, 32, did well to head off the rest of the 12-strong field.
McIntyre said she was “absolutely stoked” to put up a total near her best after the rough build-up she had to the Games, including Covid a fortnight ago.
She said it was her first time competing in front of such a big crowd and that she felt a real lift from the atmosphere.
The other New Zealand weightlifter in action was Megan Signal, in the women’s 71kg event.
Signal finished sixth of the 12 starters.
She made a bad start to the competition by missing her first snatch attempt, at 88kg. She achieved that weight on her next attempt, and then missed at 92kg. In the clean and jerk she lifted 108kg, but then missed at 111kg and 112kg. Signal totalled 196kg.
The event was won by Englishwoman Sarah Davies, who set a Games record of 229kg.