Israeli Olympic cyclist Omer Shapira was among the first in the road cycling race held on Sunday in Tokyo, but with less than five kilometers left, a score of cyclists caught up with her and she ended up finishing in 24th place.
"I felt like I was touching the medal, that's why I came out of it feeling like I missed an opportunity and a little disappointed overall," Shapira said at the press conference following the race.
"When I realized the gap was big enough, I felt there was a chance it could happen," Shapira said.
"Some of the reactions I got were that it was disappointing that I went out early just to show the flag, but that's really not what I did," Shapira explained. "I thought that was what would help me be in the race."
"We usually leap forward tactically and carefully, and here I just jumped, with no plan," Shapira continues, saying that "Girls rode forward and I leapt forward with them."
"It worked pretty well," she said. "It did not end with a medal, but I did what I could. The task was not just to escape the pack, I was completely focused on the competition and what needed to be done."
"Unfortunately, I had a small mistake in my nutritional timing and I paid for it in the end, but for me it was another competition," she added, explaining that there were other reasons that she believes may have harmed her performance during the final stretch.
"Maybe I could have ridden a little more conservatively and saved a little more energy," Shapira explained, saying that "I had two nutritional jellies and I did not take any more gels with me, so I arrived without much physical strength to fight the last few miles."
"If I had managed things differently, then maybe it would have ended differently, too," she added. "That's why I leave this feeling like I missed an opportunity."
She said one of the things that brought her here was a yearning to "promote the Israeli cycling industry in general and the girls in particular. There is much room for improvement and I am sure the level and quality can go much higher."
"If one girl saw me today and looked at this sport in a different light and began thinking of choosing to start riding, I've done what I set out to do,' Shapira concluded, adding a message of thanks for the many supporters in Israel who cheered her on during her race."