The pain has eased and Caroline Buchanan is already plotting her redemption mission, but she still hasn't been able to bring herself to watch the race which crushed her Olympic Games dream.
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Buchanan left London this morning with the rest of the Australian Olympic team.
Some of the devastation disappeared as she celebrated at the closing ceremony with athletes from all over the world yesterday.
But the 21-year-old Canberran has declared her intention to make amends in Rio in 2016.
''This result and the whole Games … when I first walked into the village I said, 'I'm going to Rio','' Buchanan said.
''I definitely want to be a part of this again. Being so close to achieving my dream and missing out … I don't even know if hungry sums up how much I want it.''
Buchanan was one of the favourites going into the gold medal race after blitzing the field in the seeding run.
She won two of her semi-finals and was ranked No.2 in the world.
But an error at the starting gate cost her a chance of finishing on the medal dais and she was overcome with emotion as she finished fifth.
She wanted to win so badly that even the messages of support were hard to take.
''When I came into the village I was so focused on competing that I didn't really take in where I was, what I was doing and how big it was,'' Buchanan said.
''Now it's sinking in, the reality and how much support I've got.''
And how do you get over Olympic heartbreak? Easy - you get back on your bike, literally.
Buchanan will have a nine-day break in the ACT before returning to the World Cup circuit. If she wins, it won't be Olympic gold.
But it will be the start of her redemption journey to Rio.
