U.S. Skeleton Racer Finishes Fourth, Calls Russian Bronze Medalist’s Run ‘Horrible’

Emotions are high when .04 seconds stand between an Olympian and a medal.

American skeleton racer Katie Uhlaender fell just short of a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic on Friday when she placed fourth in the final round, less than a tenth of a second off the podium.

In a post-run interview with BBC, Uhleander took a jab at the Olympian she finished behind, Russia’s Elena Nikitina.

“No offense to her, but her run was horrible,” Uhlaender said.

No Olympian wants to finish fourth, just shy of a medal and all its glory, but Uhlaender is especially disappointed after the tough couple of years she’s had. Wednesday marked the five-year anniversary of the death of her father, former MLB outfielder Ted Uhleander. Uhlaender almost gave up the sport in the face of her father’s death, and she suffered a concussion after returning to skeleton last fall.

The women’s skeleton team didn’t fall completely short, though. Thirty-one-year-old Noelle Pikus-Pace took home the silver medal for Team USA.

This is Uhlaender’s second Winter Games appearance after finishing 11th in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Photo via Twitter/@kansasdotcom