Sometimes winning silver in the Olympics is more disheartening than not getting up on the podium at all.

It would have been a poetic way to go out with an Olympic Gold medal wrapped around your neck before retiring, but unfortunately, it was not the case for Japan's Kaori Sakamoto, who narrowly fell short (1.89 points) of the talk of the town, Alysa Liu.

“I only felt regret. I’ve come this far and I couldn’t get it done. The frustration is unbearable. I felt like the bronze medal last time was a miracle, and I’m wearing a better medal around my neck yet I’m frustrated — which probably says a lot about all the work I put in the last four years. And for that, I just want to give myself a pat on the back.” Sakamoto said.

“I guess this is how my story ends. It hurts, I have to admit.” The silver medalist added.

Sakamoto was visibly emotional after her "loss", as she was seen in tears after her free skate. But the cameras continued rolling on her, showing no sense of privacy for athletes.

This led to USA's captain, Amber Glenn, sandwiching herself between Sakamoto and the cameras to provide some much-needed space and comfort to her fellow skater in a vulnerable moment.

The 26-year-old went on to talk about it on TikTok, saying that while she respects the cameramen's job, there is a time and place for everything.

“Dude I know it’s their job but they will get all up in your business when you clearly need space it’s wild.” Glenn wrote.

Amber Glenn holds head high after a fifth-place finish

Part of why the American was able to relate and understand Sakamoto was because of how her own program ended up being. Glenn was also on an emotional high after showcasing her talents, which propelled her from 13th to 5th place in the program.

The 26-year-old managed to score a very high 147.52 in the free skate, which left her in pole position for the gold, but missing a triple loop in her short program a few days prior cost her a spot on the podium.

"So proud of the resilience I showed, it hasn't been easy." Glenn told PEOPLE.

"I told myself that no matter how the program was going to go, I was going to look up and tell myself, 'You're at the Olympics,' and I did that, and I'm just really proud of that moment," The American added.

While Glenn may have fallen short, Team USA steered clear of the rest, capturing both golds in single and team skating events, thanks to Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joyita Das