Tokyo 2020 news - I didn’t win silver, I lost gold - Ben Whittaker sorry for pocketing silver medal
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Updated 04/08/2021 at 16:26 GMT
Arlen Lopez was a convincing winner as he took gold in the Tokyo Games' light heavweight showdown against Team GB's Ben Whittaker. Whittaker attracted criticism for pocketing his silver medal in the ceremony that followed, and he has now explained his gesture was due to disappointment in his own result. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+
Ben Whittaker (L) and Arlen Lopez (R)
Image credit: Getty Images
Ben Whittaker has apologised for sticking his silver medal in his pocket after the ceremony in which Cuban fighter Arlen Lopez was awarded gold.
Lopez defeated the 24-year-old Briton in the light heavyweight boxing final, and when Whittaker was given his silver medal, he shoved it in his pocket. He was criticised for detracting from Lopez’s moment.
However, Whittaker explained that was not his intention and he regretted doing so.
“I was doing it for everybody at home and I felt like a failure. At the time, I should have put this beautiful silver medal round my neck and smiled because this is not just for me, it's for the country”, Whittaker said in a statement.
“Even when I'm playing FIFA with my mates and I lose, I'm not talking to them for the next couple of hours – I've always been like that since I was a kid - so please accept that I wasn't trying to be disrespectful to anyone.
“I wasn't trying to take the shine away from Arlen's moment but it hurt me so deep, and I felt so embarrassed. I will look back on it later and think, 'What was I doing?' But I would like to thank everyone for getting behind me and for all the support.”
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'Nothing he could do' - Whittaker falls just short in final to take boxing silver
He continued: “You don't win silver, you lose gold. He's a class operator but I'm very disappointed and I feel like a failure. I'm sorry for making you wake up and see me let you down.
“I woke up this morning truly believing it was my time, I had the West Midlands and the country behind me – I just felt a failure and unable to celebrate a silver medal.
“When I look back in a few years, it will probably feel like a great achievement, but I was so upset that I couldn't enjoy it.”
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'Disappointment there' - GB's Whittaker devastated on podium, doesn't wear silver medal
When Lopez was awarded a 4-1 split decision victory at the end of the bout, Whittaker burst into tears at the result, though he did not dispute that he had lost to the better man.
He explained : “I didn't have the right game plan and he was a lot better than I thought – he's now a two-time Olympic gold medallist, which says it all.
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'An outpouring of emotion' - GB's Whittaker settles for boxing silver
“I remember watching him in around 2014-15 when I was still on local hall shows and I never thought I would get the chance to box him, which shows how far I've come.
“It's very, very strange how idols turn to rivals. I wouldn't say I was in awe of him, but I really respected him, and hopefully one day I'll get to meet him again and have the chance to right that wrong.”
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