The reservoir of tears that welled up in the eyes of Maame Biney started to roll down her cheeks.
"I just have to wait four more years to be able to get back to this big stage, so I can't wait until those four years," she said, brushing aside a tear on the left side of face.
There will be no gold in Biney in her first Olympics _ or medal of any color. The always-smiling 18-year-old short track speedskater was eliminated from her signature race in the 500 meters in the quarterfinal round Tuesday night in Gangneung Ice Arena, finishing last in her four-woman heat.
The first African-American woman to make a U.S. Olympic speedskating team, Biney failed to respond after the opposition managed to neutralize her greatest weapon _ her quick start. Biney used an explosive start to dominate the U.S. Olympic trials, but was introduced to a new level of the sport here in Pyeongchang. Heading into the first turn, she was bumped by Sofia Prosvirnova of Russia. Biney dropped to the back of the field.
Prosvirnova won the race in 43.466 seconds. Biney was a distant fourth in 44.772 seconds.
"I usually don't get bumped in the start," Biney said. "It was a big shock to me. I needed to figure out how to get my rhythm back, but I didn't."
In the event final staged later that night, Arianna Fontana of Italy claimed the gold medal.
Biney's Olympics aren't over. She will race in the 1,500 meters, but isn't expected to contend for a medal.
