Great Britain’s Adam Peaty focused on the positives after narrowly missing out on a third successive Olympic 100 metres breaststroke gold medal in Paris.
The 29-year-old earned a silver medal after losing out by an agonising two hundredths of a second to Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi on Sunday.
Despite conceding his title by the narrowest of margins he congratulated the victor in the pool and reflected positively on his achievement.
In an emotional interview with the BBC after the race, Peaty said: “It’s been a very long way back.
“I gave my absolute all there, I executed it as well as I could and it’s not about the end goal, I think it’s all about the process.
“It doesn’t matter what the time says on the board – I think in my heart, I’ve already won.
“I’m not crying because I’ve come second, I’m crying because it took so much to get here.”
Peaty received his medal on the podium from the Princess Royal, who also performed his investiture when he was made an OBE, and could be seen hugging his three-year-old son George as he kissed girlfriend Holly Ramsay and his mother Caroline.
Dylan Haughton, a 58-year-old amateur swimmer watching the final in the Olympic Fanzone in King’s Cross, central London, said: “I thought he would definitely win. It was so close, it’s kind of sad.”
Silvie Adams, 56, from Birmingham, said: “It was disappointing (when Peaty fell short) but athletes are only human. If they weren’t, there would be no point. It would not be sport.”
There was other medal success elsewhere for Team GB on Sunday as Kimberley Woods won bronze in the kayak.
A mistake from defending champion Ricarda Funk, the fastest finisher from the afternoon’s semis, meant Woods’ score of 98.94 was good enough for her first Olympic medal.
Woods said: “It feels absolutely incredible. I can’t believe how long my journey’s been.
“I’ve been paddling for 20 years now and finally have a medal around my neck.”
Alice, 31, who watched the kayak final at the King’s Cross Fanzone, said: “At first I thought the German contestant would win, but (after she hit the gate) it was obvious Woods would get something.
“I know she had a hard time in Tokyo, so it was good to see her get a bronze after that.”
The First Minister of Scotland congratulated Andy Murray for his “amazing performance” as he put retirement on hold with an incredible fightback in the tennis doubles.
Murray, playing at his fourth Olympics for Great Britain alongside Dan Evans, looked set to have played his final professional match before the pair saved five match points on their way to beating Japanese duo Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori.
Both British men leapt around the court in delight as they moved through to the last 16 at Roland Garros.
John Swinney said in a post on X: “Amazing performance Andy Murray and Dan Evans. What a thrilling match.”
Lisa Michie, 65, who watched the comeback at the King’s Cross Fanzone, told the PA news agency: “His performance was just brilliant. It was a hard match: both our players looked more tired than the Japanese opponents.
“But they had absolute determination, true grit. They dug deep and they had to – they were in a worse position at the beginning of the game.”
Amazing performance @andy_murray and Dan Evans. What a thrilling match. https://t.co/QpoOGAd6Yh
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) July 28, 2024
Rob Scott, 55, said: “It was classic Murray. If you’re old enough to have suffered like me, he’s built a career on going out and then somehow winning.
“He’s like a bunch of old rockers: one last time.”
