Michael Jamieson insists he will be licking his wounds for a while after being pipped to Commonwealth 200m breaststroke gold in Glasgow.
The Olympic silver medallist had been looking forward to this moment ever since Glasgow earned the right to host the 20th Commonwealth Games.
But he came up agonisingly short in his quest for gold as fellow Scot Ross Murdoch touched home first in a Games record time of 2:07.30 minutes.
Clearly distraught afterwards, Jamieson admitted perhaps the enormity of the occasion – he had described the race as the biggest of his life – got the better of him.
"This one is going to hurt for a while," he said. "This is the one I was aiming for, I am obviously gutted.
“I didn't prepare for second place, I came here to win. I have had unbelievable support in the last couple of years since London,
“I am a sponsored athlete, associated with some of the biggest companies around. Maybe I was swimming with too much emotion, getting too uptight and forgetting it was just another race, the kind I've swam in for years.
"It was the biggest race of my life but if I was to swim well I had to stay as relaxed as possible and I wasn't able to do that.
"But Ross deserved to win tonight. He had been swimming world-class times all season.”
In contrast, Hannah Miley delivered the host nation’s first gold in the pool as she romped to victory in the women’s 400 individual medley.
The 24-year-old, a two-time Olympian, had set a new Commonwealth record in her heat but eclipsed that effort, touch home in 4:38.27 minutes.
Aimee Willmott took silver for England, a swimmer who had got the better of Miley when the duo last met in January.
And although admitting previous losses had weighed heavy on her mind, Miley admitted all the hard work had finally paid off.
“That was just incredible. I literally couldn't feel my legs for the last 50m so, when I touched the wall, I was hoping and praying that I could go fast,” she said.
"I've had my scalp taken a couple of times and I've had to stop and take stock, ask: 'Is it really working? Am I going in the right direction? Do I need to move?'
"But I totally trust the work that my Dad has done.
"It's not just a young person's sport any more, it's anybody's game - it's just if you've got the heart and soul to fight for it."
© Sportsbeat 2014