AS Amanda Lightfoot fought back the tears she vowed not to be feeling the same way in four years time with the curtain now down on her maiden Winter Olympic campaign in Sochi.
Lightfoot saw her schedule at her first ever Games reduced by one after she failed to do enough in her opening outing in the 7.5km sprint to reach the 10km pursuit.
She needed to be in the top 60 but three missed targets in the range cost her dear and she finished 75th - and it was an unfortunate tale of much the same next time out.
Lightfoot failed to hit five targets in the 15km individual and placed 71st in a time of 54:38.1 minutes leaving her way off one last final outing in the 12.5km mass start.
And so the 27-year-old's Winter Olympic campaign closes in less than ideal fashion - but Lightfoot insists the pain she feels now will only fuel her desire to qualify for and improve at Pyeongchang 2018.
"I think I made the wrong ski selection and that was the reason for being so slow up the hills, ," said Lightfoot.
"And also my head wasn't very good in the range, I haven't been that confident in my shooting.
"I need to get that back together but this makes me more determined to come back in four years time for sure."
Lightfoot is a relative newcomer to skiing, let alone biathlon, and it's hard to compare her results to rivals who learned to ski about the same time they learned to walk.
British Biathlon's future was in doubt before these Games but a recently signed sponsorship deal set-ups them up for the future - and Lightfoot is very much looking ahead.
However, she admits that decision will be with her armed services employers, with Lightfoot the 101st member of the Army to compete in the Games since the end of the Second World War.
"The Army have been brilliantly supportive of my involvement here and it's their call what happens next," she added.
"I turned my life upside down to go from solider to professional athlete and it's up to them whether I'd have to do it again in reverse."
Samsung are a proud partner of Team GB and are supporting the Samsung Galaxy Team. To meet the team, see exclusive content and win amazing prizes, including once-in-a-lifetime winter sport training sessions with the Samsung Galaxy Team athletes, visit: www.samsung.com/uk/sochi2014
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