PARIS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Charlotte Worthington was one of the surprises of the day on Tuesday in the Paris Olympic Games, when she failed to qualify for the final of the women's BMX Freestyle event.
Worthington, who won the first ever Olympic gold medal in the event at Tokyo 2020, looked to be slightly lacking in confidence across her two runs, which were smooth, but failed to include any moves to really impress the judges.
Worthington had previously admitted the felt the weight of the medal she had won in Tokyo and had stepped back for a while from BMX Freestyle after "falling out of love" with the sport.
Her display on Tuesday implied she hasn't recaptured her love of competing and she admitted afterwards these could be her last Games.
"I don't know if I'll go to another Olympics. I don't know where my competitions lie now," she told the press after her performance.
"I have no idea what the future holds. This has been a crazy journey and I've gone from the top of the world to my own personal rock bottom and I'm in the process of building up," she said.
However, Worthington said she has no regrets about the path that took her from working in a Mexican restaurant to an Olympic podium.
"I'm very, very proud to get here and represent this country, and everyone that stands behind me," said the rider, who despite her problems, had no hesitation in encouraging others to take up her sport.
"Just do it," she explained. "This sport has given me everything. I'm so grateful. It's made me so happy and you know, so sad, but that is because it comes with both. Sport in general is a beautiful thing, and BMX is one of the things that's made me happiest in my life."
Despite admitting it has given her some very low moments, Worthington still insisted BMX had "totally transformed my life."
"Pick up a bike, go to your local skate park, make some friends and put a smile on your face," she said. ■
