Kane Charig has come back from seven operations to fix his splintered bones, but it may take time to mend his broken heart.
The Welsh wrestler was desperate to win gold at the Commonwealth Games but finished runner-up to Indian strongman Bajrang Punia in the -65kg final.
A silver medal might have soothed some, but not the 26-year-old Cardiff-based athlete who wanted to prove he was No.1 in Australia.
But Bajrang needed only around two minutes to overpower Charig by technical superiority in the final. Bouts are awarded on the basis of technical superiority when a wrestler takes a lead of 10 or more points.
“I didn’t come here to go home empty-handed. I came here to win,” said Charig, the current British No.1.
“You don’t win a silver, you lose a gold. It is a runners-up prize. I don’t get up early and go training and work so hard to perform like that.”
Charig may feel better about his medal when he reflects that he helped his team push past their previous record tally of 25 at an overseas Commonwealth Games.
But his disappointment stems from the fact that he won gold at the English and British Opens last year and had spent time preparing for the Gold Coast at an elite wrestling club in New York – time and effort that had not come cheap.
“I’m poor, I’ve got no money, I’ve got nothing. That’s why I’m here,” he said.
His silver was Wales’ 29th medal of the Games overall and the second from a two-strong wrestling team that also includes his best pal and training partner -74kg bronze medallist, Curtis Dodge.