BOXER Ben Whittaker was so devastated with his Olympic final loss he refused to wear his silver medal on the podium.
The brilliantly talented light-heavyweight lit up the Games in Tokyo with his eye-catching and slick back-foot style.
But he was unable to overcome the final hurdle in his long journey to Olympic gold as he was outpointed by Cuban Arlen Lopez.
Lopez, who won gold at Rio 2016 at middleweight, beat the Brit on a split-decision.
And Whittaker, 24, was left heartbroken after defeat, so much so that he could not even bare celebrate his runner up prize, putting it in his pocket.
He told the BBC: “You don’t win silver, you lose gold. I’m very disappointed with myself. I didn’t perform good.
“I am very disappointed. I feel like a failure. He was very good but you are in this game to win gold, not silver.
“This feeling will stick with me now. I don’t want this feeling again.”
I am very disappointed. I feel like a failure. He was very good but you are in this game to win gold, not silver.
Ben Whittaker
Whittaker’s stance may appear unusual, but it echoes the mindset boxing legend Floyd Mayweather had after he was reduced to bronze in 1996.
Mayweather, now 44, was robbed in the semi-finals and was left so disgusted he gave his medal to his grandmother to keep.
Years later he famously stated you cannot win a bronze if you were beaten, believing he instead ‘received’ the medal.
Whittaker, who did later wear his silver after coming off the podium, had a similar winning mentality.
He said: “I don’t want to look like a baby or a spoiled brat but I am so upset that I didn’t win the gold. I feel like I lost gold. I can’t celebrate silver.
“Maybe in a couple of years when I’ve got kids I can look back and say your dad lost a gold medal. But that is all it is.
“I want to put this to the back of my mind because I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve.
‘THAT’S A WINNERS ATTITUDE’
“I want to thank God for putting me in this position and everyone in Great Britain for getting behind me.
“Sorry for making you wake-up and seeing me let you down.”
Whittaker was praised by Piers Morgan, who tweeted: “‘You don’t win silver, you lose gold. I’m very disappointed – I feel like a failure. You’re in this game to win gold.’
“Love this – finally, an athlete at these Olympics prepared to tell the truth about competing in elite sport. Good for you.”
Another online agreed: “That’s a winners attitude – and no doubt he will get that gold next time.”
But despite Whittaker’s competitive nature winning the approval of some, others disagreed.
One said: “He needs to tone the misery down a bit. How many people have silver medals!”
Another said: “His unsporting behaviour really irritated me. He should learn to be gracious even in defeat.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
