Marlen Esparza became one of the first London 2012 Olympic medalists to bow out of Rio 2016 qualifying, losing at the U.S. Olympic boxing trials Saturday.
Esparza, 26, earned 2012 Olympic bronze and 2014 World Championships gold, but it’ll be Ginny Fuchs who represents the U.S. in the flyweight division in Rio, should she earn the U.S. a berth early next year.
On Sunday, Esparza took to Instagram to express her emotions in a series of nine videos. The transcript, followed by the videos:
“OK, everyone, I haven’t been on social media, and I’m sure we all know that I didn’t win at these Olympic trials, so I just wanted to give you guys a little feedback.”
“So I had to get myself together. I did everything I could do at this tournament, and I have a lot left. And I just want to say thank you to everybody who helped me.”
“I’ve been through a lot. And I’ve been doing this since I was 12. It’s not completely over, and for everybody who wished bad against me.”
“I know you think that I was overrated or I didn’t deserve it or didn’t want it, but this is my life, this is my soul.”
“I’m sorry that you feel that way, but it’s not the truth. I worked hard my whole life for this, and if it wasn’t meant for me, then it wasn’t.”
“God has his plan, and I’ll figure it out, and it’ll be OK. But thank you, again, for everybody that’s there for me.”
“And to everyone who follows me, who loves me, supports me, this isn’t the end. I’m going to show that just because you fail once doesn’t mean you’re going to fail forever.”
“I thought these videos were appropriate so you could see me again. For everybody who loves me and supports me, I know who you are and thank you, but it’s not over, and I’m excited for the future.”
“All right, so I can’t handle much more again. I’m out. Thank you guys, and you’ll be seeing me again.”
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