Britain's Ben Whittaker is so upset about Olympic silver, he refuses to wear it: 'It just felt like a failure'

Britain's Ben Whittaker is so upset about Olympic silver, he refuses to wear it: 'It just felt like a failure'

British boxer Ben Whittaker was so disappointed by his silver medal in the light-heavyweight final on Wednesday that he refused to put it on

TOKYO — Podium protests are rare at the Olympic Games, but few are less likely than an athlete protesting against himself.

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British boxer Ben Whittaker was so disappointed by his silver medal in the light-heavyweight final on Wednesday that he refused to put it on, fearing it might make him look like a loser to his countrymen back home.

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As his name was announced in the arena in Tokyo, Whittaker stepped up on the podium reluctantly with his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor throughout.

When he accepted the silver medal, he folded the ribbon neatly around it and put it in his pocket as the gold was handed to two-time champion Arlen Lopez of Cuba.

“I truly woke up this morning believing it’s my time,” Whittaker told reporters.

“And it just felt like a failure, so I just couldn’t celebrate the silver at that time and I don’t think I can just yet.”