Team GB judoka Ashley McKenzie endured a miserable day at the European Games on Thursday, losing in the second round of the -60kg category in Baku.
The 25-year-old headed out to the Azerbaijani capital in the hope of picking up a medal, but a defeat to Jeroen Mooren of the Netherlands saw him exit the competition early.
This year's European Games is also doubling up as judo's European Championships, while vital ranking points for the 2016 Rio Olympics are also up for grabs.
Sports Mole chatted to McKenzie after his loss to gauge his reaction.
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Hi Ashley, how are you feeling after such an early exit at the tournament?
"The first bout was alright. I won it on a penalty, though it was pretty much even. He was fighting back, so it was easy for me to pick him off and for me to drop under him."
How about the second? It looked like a pretty frustrating encounter for you...
"The second fight... you're fighting someone who doesn't want to fight you so it's a lot harder. All they go out to do is stop you from doing judo, so it makes it look bad. He didn't put in any proper attacks. I don't mind losing to someone who is going to throw me big, but when you've got someone who is only interested in stopping you... this is why judo is not that popular. People like him just give you stiff arms, so yeah I'm frustrated."
What was your aim coming into the tournament?
"My aim was to obviously get a medal. Last year I got a fifth [at the European Championships], the year before I got a bronze. It's just devastating to think that you lose like that. It's not really judo, to be honest. It's fucked."
What's the plan for you now? Do you have much on your plate between now and the end of the year?
"Competition-wise, if I'm being brutally honest I don't know if British Judo will select me for the Russian Grand Prix after this." (It was later confirmed that McKenzie had secured a place in the team for the competition.)
