Benjamin Whittaker of Team Great Britain looks dejected during the Victory Ceremony on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kokugikan Arena
Ben Whittaker.
Getty/Buda Mendes
  • A British boxer was so upset with winning silver in Tokyo that he refused to wear his medal.
  • Ben Whittaker, 24, also cried as he collected his prize.
  • "I'm very disappointed. I feel like a failure," he said after the bout.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A British boxer was so upset with winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics that he refused to wear his medal and cried on the podium.

Ben Whittaker, 24, was beaten by way of split decision by Cuba's Arlen Lopez in the light-heavyweight gold-medal bout on Tuesday.

After the defeat, the Team GB fighter collected his silver medal and stuffed it into his pocket while Lopez and joint bronze medalists Imam Khataev and Loren Alfonso stood on the podium with their prizes around their necks.

He briefly produced his medal from his pocket to pose for photographs, though again refused to wear it as tears ran down his cheeks.

Men’s Light Heavy medalists Benjamin Whittaker of Team Great Britain, Arlen Lopez of Team Cuba, Imam Khataev of Team Russian Olympic Committee, and Loren Berto Alfonso Dominguez of Team Azerbaijan pose for photographs during the Victory Ceremony on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kokugikan Arena
Whittaker was not impressed with his silver medal.
Getty/Harry How

Asked about why he chose to snub his prize, a visibly upset Whittaker told the BBC: "You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed. I feel like a failure.

"You're in this game to win gold, not to win silver. I'm very upset. This feeling will stick with me now, and I don't want to feel like this again.

"I'm going to put this to the back of my mind because I didn't achieve what I wanted to achieve."

He added: "I'll come back, trust me."

While he may have felt as if he let people down with his defeat, the 24-year-old received plenty of congratulations for his achievement on social media.

Among those to say well done was English Premier League soccer team Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he used to work as a youth before he was fired after being caught eating a pie in the toilet.

"A fantastic achievement, Ben! We're all so proud of you back home," said the club.

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