Sunday 7 August 2016 23:57, UK
Lizzie Armitstead said she was proud and would not feel sorry for herself after a turbulent week ended with her missing out on a medal on the women’s Olympic Games road race.
The 27-year-old Briton was dropped on the day's final climb and eventually finished fifth, 20 seconds behind winner Anna van der Breggen.
Armitstead's build-up to the race had been disrupted by the revelation that she had been provisionally suspended for missing three drugs tests and was only cleared to race in Rio after a successful appeal.
Armitstead said: "I can't feel sorry for myself. This is sport and that's what it's about. I never gave up and for that I can be proud of myself.
"Obviously I've lost quite a lot of sleep and it's been a hard time, but it's not an excuse.
"It went as I expected, really. I limited my losses on the climb like I wanted to and we came up short in the final, but there was a very worthy winner in Anna van der Breggen.
"I've been preparing all my adult life for this. The dream is an Olympic gold medal, but that's sport and I gave it my best shot. I can't be disappointed with the effort that I did."
Armitstead said racing had been a welcome distraction from the furore of her failed drugs tests and that she is now looking forward to moving on with her career.
She added: "Putting a number on my back and being at the start of a race is what I do best and where I feel most comfortable, so actually, today was the best day I have had in weeks.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to putting this behind me, but it's the Olympic Games and at the end of the day I'm a sports fan."
