Ollie Davies knows that he's at a disadvantage but it doesn't make it any easier when the results don't show.
The 28-year-old was heartbroken by his 1/8 finals exit in the men's ski cross event at Milano Cortina 2026, citing silly mistakes as his downfall as wet snow poured down in Livigno.
After a good morning of training, Davies could not find his speed in the seeding run and qualified 28th out of 31 athletes, meaning he was up against some fast skiers in his heat.
And whether it came down to nerves or the lack of resources at his fingertips compared to the bigger ski cross nations, Davies crossed the line in fourth and did not progress to the next round.
"Sadness, disappointment, frustration. There were too many mistakes," he said.
"I don't know what to put it down to. Stupid errors, but I don't know where they've come from.
"I pulled a good start. Training was really good this morning but qualification was dreadful.
"I was there up with the guys on the start, even though I had bad gate.
"And then in the middle section I had some speed coming but then missed my combinations.
"It was the same at the bottom, I had some speed coming down, and I wanted to try something different. I tried to press but I couldn't make a move."
Davies had a difficult lead up to the Games after leaving his coaching set up, instead pressing on with his family by his side.
It meant that even getting to the start line in Italy has been an achievement for the Brit, who became Team GB's first ever ski cross athlete at Beijing 2022.
And while the results didn't go the way he envisioned in Italy, Davies has still enjoyed his second Olympics in Italy.
"My mind says always that I can do it, like, I've done it before, and I can do it again," he said.
"That's what I'm always going to think. But for sure, looking back, I'll be proud.
"I'm super privileged to be here. I've really enjoyed the whole experience of these Games way more than China, for sure.
"Watching Huw [Nightingale] and Charlotte [Bankes] win gold, that was just a bonus as well."
Sportsbeat 2026